


an ocean of honey

by binflower



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Boys Kissing, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Getting Lost, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Road Trips, Seo Changbin is Whipped, Sexual Tension, Shy Hwang Hyunjin, Slow Burn, Stargazing, Strangers to Lovers, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 08:14:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25467589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/binflower/pseuds/binflower
Summary: It was like time stopped in a collision of senses when his lips finally met Hyunjin’s.—Changbin and his friends decide to spend the summer together at his family's holiday beach house. He allows Jisung to invite his other friends, strangers to Changbin. But as soon as he lays eyes on the beautiful boy named Hyunjin, his entire life takes a turn.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 45
Kudos: 169
Collections: Summer Boy





	1. introductions

**Author's Note:**

> this fic includes the following prompts:
> 
> (2) beach house  
> (4) broken air conditioning  
> (8) road trip
> 
> this is my very first fic! let me know if i missed any tags (still trying to figure out how all this works)
> 
> and enjoy! <3

_BZZZZZZ. BZZZZZZZZZZ. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ._

  
  


That was Changbin’s phone vibrating on the side table. Annoyed, he lazily reached out for it, picking his head up from the comfort of his pillow. He groaned at the light spilling into his bedroom past the curtains. Squinting his eyes, he brought his phone to his face and checked the time.

_12:42pm… damn._

  
  


He had slept in, again. 

  
  


Changbin tended to stay up late listening to music and thinking about both everything and nothing. His eyes trailed down to the several notifications that woke him up. They were from his friends, Chan and Jisung, who were messaging in the trio’s groupchat. He sighed, deciding to read the texts later, as he rolled out of bed and set his phone back on the side table.

His roommate, Felix, was laying on the other bed playing video games. Before Changbin stepped into the bathroom, the freckled boy stopped him. 

  
  


“Hey, what’s wrong? You’ve been looking so... _sad_ these days. You know you can talk to me about anything and I’ll listen,” the younger smiled up at him. 

  
  


“Is it that obvious?” Changbin frowned, then waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about me, it’s really nothing. I’m just overthinking things… as usual.” 

  
  


He knew Felix wanted to know why he was upset, probably wanted to help him. They were good friends, but Changbin never opened up to anyone. Not even to Chan and Jisung, who he knew since pre-school and considered his best friends. Changbin was popular around campus and known to be really fun and confident. He could make friends easily and got along with almost everyone. He was always so bright and lively.

But as his roommate, Felix must’ve noticed that lately, when Changbin was by himself, the atmosphere would become gloomy. 

  
  


Changbin stripped himself and stepped into the shower, feeling relieved as soon as the cool water hit his skin. He hated summer. It was hot, there were bugs everywhere, and his friends would always make him go outside. Those thoughts faded when Felix's concerned expression from minutes ago popped into his head. He felt bad for constantly shutting his friends out whenever they asked what was up with him, but he didn’t want to bother them with his _issues_. 

  
  


The truth that they were unaware of was, Changbin felt alone. 

  
  


Anybody would think that was ridiculous, he had so many friends due to how popular he was. But that was exactly the problem. He began to realize that all of those people only wanted to be his friend because of his money and popularity. They never even tried to get to know him properly; they were just using him. They were all _fake_. 

  
  


He slowly started to lose trust in others, soon becoming wary of who he was letting into his life. Chan, Jisung, Felix, and even Jisung’s boyfriend, Minho, were the only people, aside from his family, that he was actually close with. But somehow, he still felt lonely. Scared that others would always keep tricking or using him and that he’d never again be able to meet someone he could trust. 

  
  


Perhaps he was being a little too paranoid. 

  
  


Changbin flinched when there was a knock at the bathroom door, pulling him away from his thoughts. He turned off the tap, wrapping a towel around his waist and opening the door to Jisung smiling widely at him. He jumped in surprise, which made his friend laugh loudly. 

  
  


“You weren’t answering our messages,” Chan was there too, looking up at him from the game he joined Felix in. “Lix said you’ve been seeming anxious lately. Whatever it is, I’m a hundred percent sure you’ll feel better when you read what we sent you.” 

  
  


Honestly, there was no reason for Changbin to be shocked about them randomly showing up anymore. Chan and Jisung lived together in the dorm just above him and Felix on the next floor. Changbin didn’t say anything in response to Chan, simply shutting the door in Jisung’s face and slipping into his clothes. 

  
  


When he came out again, all three were sprawled on Felix’s bed, invested in the game. Changbin chuckled quietly to himself at the sight, heading to his own bed and sitting on the edge as he picked up his phone.

They all went to the same university. Chan was the oldest, a fourth year student like Minho. Changbin was a third, while Jisung and Felix were second years. They all lived in the dorms except for Minho, who lived alone with his three cats in an apartment near the campus. 

  
  


Dorms were closing in a few days due to summer break, so most of them were planning to go stay with their parents. Jisung kept boasting that he’d planned to stay with Minho though, and that they’d have lots of fun together. Changbin already knew what that meant and he did not want to hear more. 

  
  


But since it was already decided how they’d spend their summer that year, he didn’t expect to see the messages starting with a conversation about a much needed vacation. He kept reading, the two going back and forth about how they spend every break the same, boring and wasteful. 

  
  


It was Jisung’s idea to do something special for once, make it memorable. Chan, of course, had to remind him that Changbin’s family owned a beach house just about an hour outside of the city. (They always joked about him being rich, but it was sort of true.) Jisung replied in all caps, seeming like he had forgotten about that. 

  
  


“So... you guys are planning that we all spend the summer at my beach house?” Changbin asked, turning to them with a raised brow. They both looked up from their game for a second and nodded their heads excitedly. 

  
  


“Hey, that’s actually a great idea! Why didn’t we ever think of that before?” Felix stopped playing to join in the conversation.

  
  


“Because, we barely see our families. Summer break is like the only chance we get to visit them,” Changbin reasoned. They all stared at him.

  
  


“Stop being such a mama’s boy,” Jisung snorted. “We have a whole four months off. How about we all spend the first two together and then you can go home for the remaining half. Come on!” 

  
  


“Think about all the dust your beach house must be collecting right now,” Chan added.

  
  


“Well actually we have it cleaned regula-” Changbin started to say, but was cut off by Jisung’s phone ringing. It was Minho, he was outside of the dorm building, so Jisung quickly went to let him in. When they returned, Minho grabbed Changbin by the shoulders and looked down at him with persuasive eyes. 

  
  


Jisung must have told him everything.

  
  


“Listen up. Stop being a depressed little shit and let’s all really enjoy ourselves for once. You’re just using your parents as an excuse not to do this for whatever reason, but we’re not going to let you go back to your house just so you can continue like this all summer long. It’s for your own good, Changbin. You’ll feel a lot better.” 

  
  


Changbin sighed. Minho was right, it was just an excuse. But that was because of his rising fear. He really trusted all the people currently in his dorm room, and he didn’t want to find out that they might just be using him all along too. Using him for his beach house, maybe? 

  
  


But as they all looked at him, hopeful, in that moment he thought _screw it._ He was being unnecessarily frightened about something that could never be true. These were his real friends. 

  
  


And maybe it’d help to spend some time away from everything and just have fun. As Minho said, he’d feel a lot better. 

  
  


“Fine. Let’s do it,” Changbin smiled at them. “I’ll call my family and let them know. Start packing, guys.” 

  
  


They all exchanged thrilled looks, and Changbin immediately pushed out any remaining doubt. He felt happy when they were happy. 

  
  


“Wait, Changbin..” Jisung slightly pouted at the older with puppy eyes. “Would you be willing to let some of my friends join us? Please? They’re really really nice, you know the ones I always talk about? I’ve been wanting to introduce you guys to each other since forever. I know we’d all get along great.” 

  
  


It was true, Jisung had another group of close friends at uni. Two of them were second years like him, and the other was a first. Jisung had apparently ran into them at a party seven months ago. Minho had already met them, it was actually that same party that he had met Jisung too, soon becoming his boyfriend. 

  
  


That’s all Changbin, Chan and Felix knew. Since days were busy and they were also in completely different departments on opposite ends of the campus, they never got a chance to meet each other. 

  
  


“Uhhhh,” Changbin looked away from Jisung’s pleading stare, thinking about what he should do. Did he really want to let three strangers stay at his beach house and spend half the summer with them? Changbin had already started to find it incredibly difficult to trust other people, so it would be a hard choice for him to make. 

  
  


Jisung often made them sound like amazing people though, and he was so impatient in having them all hang out together. Changbin felt like he _had_ to say yes. So after a very long pause of hesitation, his mouth opened again. “Sure, don’t make me re-”

  
  


“You won’t regret it!” Jisung interrupted, clapping his hands together once in excitement.

  
  


After the others left, Changbin and Felix began packing for the two months. 

  
  


It was definitely going to be a full house. _Eight boys._

  
  
  
  
  


The hour-long drive to the beach felt so short with the five of them jamming out to the music blasting from Minho’s car. Changbin was uncomfortable though. 

  
  


Jisung had called shotgun to be next to his boyfriend of course, and the older was left jammed between Felix and Chan in the middle seat. It was because he was the shortest, and Minho said he could best see through the rear window that way. It made no sense to Changbin because they were all still tall enough that either of them in the middle seat would block Minho’s view, but they loved to tease him. 

  
  


What was worse than being squished though, was having to see a hand sliding up Jisung’s thigh right in front of him. Those two loved making everyone else feel incredibly single.

  
  


Jisung’s other friends would be coming separately. Since neither of them owned a vehicle, the youngest was apparently having his mom drop them off.

  
  


As soon as the group in Minho’s car arrived, they were thrilled, gaping up at the beach house while Changbin chuckled at their reactions. It had a very modern look. A stylish driveway surrounded by potted plants, leading up to an inviting entrance. The white exterior could barely be seen with the many large, luxurious windows serving as a better replacement. 

  
  


Changbin helped Minho and Chan get all of their bags out of the car while Jisung and Felix immediately ran to the shore just in front of the house, full of joy. 

  
  


“They’re such kids,” Minho watched his boyfriend with an endeared grin. Changbin too observed them fondly, as they tackled each other into the sand.

  
  


His family used to come here on holiday every single year during his childhood. He came to love the ocean very much, and that specific beach held many memories for him. Nobody else would be around, their property was farther away from the main spot people visited, so they had lots of privacy. 

  
  


Changbin could almost picture his little self jumping with the waves or searching for crabs with his older sister. Jisung and Felix reminded him of those moments. But he was going to make new memories now, with friends instead of family. 

  
  


Hopefully they would be good ones. 

  
  


Chan got frustrated when he kept dropping the pile of bags in his arms, so he yelled at the youngest two to get their asses back to the car and help out. 

  
  


They had eventually brought everything inside, setting it in the spacious living room. But before the group could do anything else, there was a loud knock at the door.

  
  


“Your friends must be here,” Changbin told Jisung, who was already making his way to the door excitedly and swinging it open. Jisung dragged the newcomers inside, helping them toss their bags into the already existing pile of luggage.

  
  


“Finally!” Jisung smiled widely at his two groups of friends standing awkwardly across from each other. 

  
  


Changbin observed the three strangers in front of him, they were a really good looking bunch. He was suddenly wary of how he was looking himself.

_Is my hair still okay after the ride? Felix fell asleep for a bit on my shoulder.. there isn’t any drool on my shirt, is there?_

  
  


“Hey, I’m Jeongin! It’s nice to meet you guys. Jisung talks about you all the time,” one of them spoke up, smiling cutely. He looked very young, and very adorable.

_Must be the first-year._

  
  


“Same here! Jisung’s been waiting to have all his friends in the same room for a while,” Chan chuckled in reply. “I’m Chan by the way, the oldest here, so I’ll be watching over all of you kids.”

  
  


“We won’t need watching over,” Felix rolled his eyes. “I’m Felix, and I’ve probably been the most excited to meet you guys. I should have more friends that aren’t older than me.” 

  
  


“Friends? So quickly?” One of them teased, and Changbin didn’t miss how his roommate got flustered. “I’m Seungmin! I brought my camera with me, so I’m just going to give everyone a heads up that I plan to take lots of pictures and videos! I like to keep them for the memories.”

  
  


They all seemed to like the idea very much, but Changbin was growing a bit skeptical. They may have been Jisung’s close friends, but Changbin needed time to trust them. 

  
  


“I’m Hyunjin…” the last one smiled shyly. Changbin properly paid attention to him for the first time, and that’s when he realized just how absolutely beautiful Hyunjin was. He had already noticed that the boy had a tall, lithe figure, but now Changbin was observing other things, like the way he stood so elegantly, or how his slender fingers were intertwined with one another, resting in front of him in a neat manner.

_Cute._

  
  


He also had this long dark hair that accentuated his soft eyes, and the prettiest lips Changbin had ever seen. He must’ve been staring for too long, because Hyunjin suddenly avoided his gaze and shifted uncomfortably. 

  
  


“Changbin,” he said plainly, trying to look cool like he usually did. Seungmin and Jeongin nodded, but Hyunjin still didn’t look at him. Perhaps he felt intimidated, despite the older’s efforts to come off as laid-back. It was understandable though, Changbin got that sort of reaction a lot as first impressions. Probably because of what he called his ‘dark aura.’

  
  


“Give him lots of respect, okay?” Jisung added in all seriousness. “He’s the rich one I told you guys about, this is _his_ beach house.”

  
  


Of course Jisung had to announce this.

  
  


“That won’t be necessary.” Changbin quickly commented. “Please, feel free to make yourself at home.”

  
  


“Great,” Minho clapped his hands together once. “Now that you’re all introduced and everyone already knows me, let's eat and rest up so we can have some fun starting tomorrow.”

  
  


“Tomorrow? But-” Jisung began to protest, to which his boyfriend shut him up with a kiss. Changbin noticed Hyunjin making a face of disgust, and he grinned to himself, finding it both adorable and amusing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if the first chapter was boring to read, it gets better !


	2. roommates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is super short, but enjoy!

The boys washed up before heading to the kitchen and lounge area, where most of them were sitting on the sofas and chatting about how exams went. Changbin got back from the nearby convenience store with ingredients for dinner, and some breakfast items as well. He was part of the group that would be cooking the food, which involved Chan and Minho; the eldest three. 

  
  


Chan handled the meat, and gave Changbin the job of cutting the vegetables, which allowed him to face the others on the sofa. He smiled fondly, watching the younger kids enjoying themselves, which was really just Jisung screaming something that Changbin couldn’t make out, and the rest falling into a fit of laughter. 

  
  


But his eyes kept straying to Hyunjin for some reason. His heart beat a bit faster, watching the boy with a slight blush. He was just so gorgeous, and he hated that Hyunjin seemed nervous around him after their introductions. Hopefully spending two months together in the same house would allow them to open up to each other more. 

  
  


Changbin might learn to trust the beautiful boy, who in turn would realize that the older wasn’t a dark guy at all. Only his friends knew about the soft, childish side of him because he had revealed that part of himself to them, but to the rest of the world, he would always keep a super cool image. 

  
  


“Ah!” he winced suddenly, looking down to see blood spilling from his finger. He quickly brought the cut to his mouth, sucking on it. Chan and Minho spun around, each granting a different reaction. 

  
  


“Hey! Don’t get blood on the vegetables,” Chan furrowed his brows.

  
  


“Didn’t you notice he wasn’t even paying attention?” Minho smirked. “All he’s been staring at is one of Jisung’s other buddies… I’ve been trying to figure out which one.” 

  
  


Changbin felt his cheeks heat up, about to try and deny Minho’s accusation, but then Chan suddenly pulled his finger away from his mouth, to which he elicited a small cry of pain. He was dragged to the sink, so he just sighed and washed the blood off his finger, hearing Chan muttering as he finished cutting the vegetables himself. 

  
  


The cut wasn’t very big or deep, so the bleeding stopped after a bit and Changbin returned to help, but Chan gently shoved him out the kitchen and sent him to the younger kids. So he sighed once again, heading to sit next to Jisung who was being extremely loud. Changbin flinched and covered his ears when Jisung threw his arm around the older and screamed right next to his ear, “Look who came to join us!”

  
  


The others laughed at Changbin’s reaction, but Jisung just squeezed his shoulders super tight and then blew harshly in his ear. Changbin immediately stood up, very annoyed, moving across to sit in the only other empty spot left.

  
  


“Wow, I’m hurt. You’re choosing Hyunjin over your best friend?” Jisung remarked dramatically. Changbin made a face, opening his mouth to think up a witty comeback, but nothing came to him. So he stayed quiet, glancing at Hyunjin next to him, who looked a bit nervous. It was a sudden contrast to his enjoyment of Jisung’s antics earlier. 

  
  


“He doesn't even seem to like you very much,” Jisung added bluntly, noticing how the boy got tense as soon as Changbin sat next to him.

  
  


“That’s not true!” Hyunjin flung himself across to the other sofa and attacked his friend to Changbin’s surprise. “It’s not that I don’t like him.”

  
  


“Then you _do_ like him?” Jisung asked calmly, acting as if the taller boy wasn’t literally wrestling him on the sofa. Changbin listened closely, curious to hear the answer himself. But Hyunjin didn’t respond, continuing to hit Jisung playfully. Changbin was amused by the way they were interacting like kids. 

  
  


_Jisung really must have a close bond with his other friends._

  
  


Suddenly, Hyunjin was pushed back. Gently, but still hard enough to send him landing in Changbin’s lap. The latter barely had time to process what was happening, because not even a second went by and Hyunjin jumped off with a yelp as if his ass was on fire. He turned around to face Changbin, ears red and his head bowed down a bit. 

  
  


“Sorry!” he exclaimed, the embarrassment in his voice very clear. Changbin was going crazy, Hyunjin looked so pretty when he was flustered. He couldn’t help but reply with a dumb flirty comment.

  
  


“You don't have to apologize, you’re free to sit wherever you’d like,” he smirked like an idiot, and Hyunjin looked like he might explode. There was an awkward silence, in which the younger seemed to have no idea how to respond to that, so instead, he just slowly sat back down on the sofa, a bit farther from Changbin than before. His face was still red as ever. 

  
  


Changbin decided that teasing Hyunjin was _very_ fun.

  
  


Jisung had been watching the whole thing. “Now this is interesting.”

  
  
  
  
  


“We should decide rooms,” Felix reminded the other seven boys, all sitting at the dining table and finishing up the delicious meal Chan and Minho made on their own since Changbin failed to be of help. “Though Changbin said that there’s only four rooms, so we’ll have to split off in pairs and share beds.”

  
  


“Well some of us could take the sofas?” Chan suggested.

  
  


“What’s the fun in that?” Jisung argued. “Let’s stick to sharing rooms, and how about we play a game to decide pairs? Like spin the bottle but without the kissing!”

  
  


“That actually sounds fun,” Felix approved.

  
  


“Okay, but Ji and I aren’t gonna play, we should get a room together by default,” Minho grabbed Jisung’s hand tightly. “We’ll need to share a bed anyways if I want to be able to do all the things I have planned.” 

  
  


Everyone looked at the couple in slight disgust, and Changbin almost laughed out loud at how grossed out Hyunjin was.

  
  


“Fine, just us six will play to decide the remaining rooms,” Felix drank the rest of the contents from his water bottle until it was empty, then set it in the middle of the table. They had nothing better to use at the moment.

  
  


They made Jeongin spin first since he was the youngest, who ended up getting Chan. He blurted out, “Wait, I want to spin again!” to which everyone laughed hysterically and Chan acted offended in a playful way, “Hey! I’ll take good care of you.” 

  
  


Changbin observed the remaining three, thinking about who he’d most want to share with. If Jisung never invited his other friends, it would’ve been great. He would already have a room with Minho, and then Chan, Felix, and Changbin could have rooms to themselves. But now there was no hope for that. So he decided he really wanted to get Felix since they were already roommates and he actually knew him. 

  
  


_How would it be comfortable to share a bed with someone you just met?_

  
  


They made Seungmin spin next since he was the second youngest. Felix looked nervous, eyeing the bottle closely, and Changbin felt like it had something to do with the way he’d been staring at this particular boy ever since he arrived. So as soon as the bottle landed on him, the freckled boy’s eyes shot open, clearly elated. Changbin felt it was rather obvious that he liked Seungmin, but nobody else seemed to notice. 

  
  


“I hope you like to cuddle,” Seungmin smiled sweetly at his new roommate, which everyone knew was probably just an act but they all went _‘oooh’_ anyways. Felix’s ears turned red, and they watched in amusement. 

  
  


While the others teased the newly paired up boys, Changbin realized they didn’t need to spin the bottle anymore, and his eyes immediately landed on the only person left sitting at the table without a roommate. Hyunjin looked like he gulped, staring at Changbin for barely a second before turning to the others. 

  
  


“So... we’re keeping these pairs for the entire vacation?” he spoke anxiously, almost stuttering each word, but Changbin was too busy admiring his sweet voice to even get offended by the implications of Hyunjin’s question. 

  
  


Jisung laughed.

  
  


“What, are you... scared of Changbin?” he laughed louder when Hyunjin shook his head cutely. 

  
  


“No! Like I said before… it’s not like that!” Hyunjin kind of pouted, embarrassed and unsure of what else to say with everyone looking at him, which Changbin found just so incredibly adorable.

  
  


“Look at how tiny he is though,” Jisung snorted, to which Changbin finally shot him a death glare that immediately shut him up. Jisung couldn’t even joke about that when he wasn’t that much taller than the older. Changbin may have been the shortest one there but he had sharp features and a big, toned body which probably made him look really strong and intimidating to Hyunjin despite what Jisung was saying. 

  
  


At least that’s what Changbin kept _thinking_ was the younger’s problem with him. He actually still wasn’t fully sure what was wrong. 

  
  


“Oh come on, Changbin is a baby, he can’t even sleep without hugging his plushie,” Felix added, revealing what only a roommate would know. Everyone glanced at Changbin, amused by this new fact. He got flustered, standing up abruptly and giving Felix the death stare now.

  
  


“Hey! I _can_ sleep without Gyu, I didn't even bring him for the trip,” Changbin tried to protect his cool guy reputation but failed horribly. 

  
  


“Wait, so you actually do have a plushie? And it has a name?” Hyunjin finally laughed by himself without the other’s laughter drowning it out, and it sounded like music to Changbin’s ears. He didn’t even mind getting made fun of by Hyunjin, because it was the first time he had smiled directly at Changbin since he got here, and it made the older boy happy that Hyunjin seemed to be warming up to him a bit. 

  
  


Changbin just smiled back at him, letting his friends have a little laugh too before they all eventually got up and headed upstairs to their rooms. Each one was fairly identical, except they allowed Changbin to take what they considered the master bedroom to thank him for letting them stay at his beach house. It wasn’t that much bigger than the other rooms, and it still had the same size bed, bathroom, and so on. The only difference was that it had a pretty balcony overlooking the sea.

  
  


Changbin carried his bags into the room quickly and went back to help Hyunjin too, who shyly thanked him. As soon as they finished unpacking a bit, Changbin told Hyunjin he could choose whatever side of the bed he wanted. Hyunjin said he wanted to sleep closer to the balcony so he could look outside at the ocean. That was Changbin’s preference too, though he didn’t mind. He wanted to show Hyunjin that he really was kind and friendly, wanting to get rid of the false image he thought the younger boy still seemed to have of him. 

  
  
  
  
  


That night, both boys slept as far away from each other as possible. Changbin’s reason was that he didn’t want to make Hyunjin uncomfortable, but he wasn’t sure if the younger was thinking the same thing or if he really was just scared like Jisung teased.

_Scared of what, though?_

  
  


He tried hard to remember if he did or said something wrong. Maybe it was just as simple as, Hyunjin was straight. Changbin probably made him uncomfortable after all, with his flirty comments and even getting caught staring at him. Hyunjin was all Changbin could think about as he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh changbin...


	3. bruises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoiler: someone's going to get hurt !

The next morning, Changbin woke up alone in the bed. He checked the time on his phone.

_Shit._

  
  


He quickly washed up and padded into the kitchen with his messy hair, still wearing what he slept in. Jeongin was sitting alone at the counter and eating a bowl of the cereal Changbin bought the night before. There were used bowls sitting in the sink, so he looked at the younger boy questioningly. 

  
  


“They all went to play outside. And your friend Chan went out to buy a lot more food items since all you brought was just a day’s worth of stuff,” Jeongin answered, chuckling. 

  
  


“Hey! It was super late yesterday and I wanted to pick up enough things for dinner and breakfast at least!” Changbin reasoned. “So you woke up late too, huh?”

  
  


“Yeah… I guess it’s because Chan and I talked a lot last night,” Jeongin shrugged. 

  
  


“Oh,” Changbin said plainly, pouring himself a bowl of cereal as well. He may have sounded uninterested but really he was happy to hear the two were getting along so well. If only the same could go for Hyunjin and him…

  
  
  
  
  


As soon as Changbin and Jeongin finished having breakfast, Chan had also arrived home. The three joined the other boys outside, who were running around in the sand, playing with a ball. Changbin had changed into a pair of denim shorts with a half-sleeved shirt that had the top few buttons undone. He also somewhat fixed his tousled dark hair, keeping it out of his face with a headband. 

  
  


When Hyunjin came into his view, he almost didn’t want to announce his arrival, fearful that the younger boy would tense up as (what was becoming) the usual. He looked absolutely radiant, despite just wearing a plain white t-shirt with shorts, and his long hair was tied into a ponytail. Changbin watched, as if in some trance, as Hyunjin tucked some of the loose strands behind his ear. His brows were pulled together in full focus, tongue darting out to wet his lips.

_Those pretty, pink, plump lips._

  
  


Changbin realized the boys were playing volleyball, Hyunjin and Jisung versus Felix and Seungmin. Minho was acting as a ref, standing at the end of a line they made in the sand to serve as the net. He was the first to notice the trio’s arrival. 

  
  


“Hey! Look who it is!” Minho called out. “Now we can play 4v4!”

  
  


Hyunjin’s eyes landed on Changbin, so the latter quickly looked elsewhere. But from the corner of his eye, he could see Hyunjin staring at him.

_Staring? Why was he staring?_

  
  


Changbin was tired of being confused, so he pushed all his thoughts out of his head when they began to play. He and Jeongin joined Hyunjin and Jisung, while Chan and Minho joined Felix and Seungmin on the other side. 

  
  


It wasn’t that intense of a game, with the other team winning by a lot. But that wasn’t surprising, Chan was really athletic. 

  
  


By the third set, it was clear that he was an aggressive player.

  
  


At one point, Chan jumped so high and shocked everyone with an incredibly powerful spike attack... which hit Hyunjin square in the face.

  
  


It knocked him backwards with a lot of force, but luckily Changbin was close enough to catch him by the shoulders and then gently lay him on the ground. 

  
  


Everyone ran to surround the boy, who was murmuring something while blinking slowly. Chan was panicking, apologizing over and over even though Hyunjin was basically unconscious. 

  
  


“Stop crowding him you guys!” Changbin got the others to step away, as he slipped an arm under Hyunjin’s legs and the other behind his back, lifting him up carefully.

_He’s so light._

  
  


Changbin took him inside and told the others to just continue playing, even though they were hesitant about it. Especially Chan. 

  
  


Inside, Changbin laid him down on the couch and gently lifted his head to put it on a pillow. He hurried into the kitchen to make a pack of ice and returned to Hyunjin, kneeling down beside him and very slowly placing it on his forehead where it was completely red. 

  
  


Hyunjin hissed at the sudden cold sensation, and his eyes shot open. He tried to sit up but Changbin placed a warm hand on his chest, gently holding him down. 

  
  


“Hey hey, it’s okay. You got hit in the head pretty hard. You should hold this ice pack to your forehead and rest,” Changbin instructed. 

  
  


Hyunjin’s eyes slowly drifted closed again, not reaching up for the pack. He murmured, “I’m so dizzy…” 

  
  


Changbin bit his lip, shifting into a more comfortable position on the floor next to the boy, knowing he’d have to hold the pack for him. 

  
  


Changbin’s arm started to hurt after a while, but he ignored it, wanting to reduce as much inflammation and swelling of the bruise as possible. And with Hyunjin laying there so peacefully, Changbin could admire him all he wanted. He felt a bit creepy just staring at the boy while he wasn’t aware of it, but Hyunjin was just so mesmerizing. Changbin was tempted… to just reach out and touch that pretty face. 

  
  


He almost did.

  
  


Suddenly Chan walked in, and Changbin quickly retracted his hand, mentally slapping himself for being such a creep with Hyunjin. He’d literally just met the boy yesterday too, and Changbin was the one who seemed to have problems trusting people? He’d need to get a grip on his attraction before scaring Hyunjin off completely.

After all, there was still the possibility that he didn’t like boys. 

  
  


“Is he okay?” Chan asked worriedly. Changbin nodded in response, removing the ice pack to reveal the reddish purple bruise on Hyunjin’s forehead. 

  
  


“Fuck! He’s going to kill me!” Chan’s face was pale.

  
  


Changbin calmed him down, “It’s okay, nobody has to tell him who did it.”

  
  


“I still feel horrible,” Chan frowned. “I told everyone that as the oldest, I’d take care of them. And then this happened.”

  
  


“It’s not that big of a deal, Chan. I’m sure that even if Hyunjin knew it was you, he’d recognize it as an accident and forgive you. Why would you purposely launch a volleyball at fire speed into his face? Exactly.”

Changbin stood up, placing the melting ice pack on the coffee table, and pulling Chan back outside. 

  
  


“Wait, you’re just gonna leave him now?” 

  
  


“Well yeah, you shouldn’t use an ice pack for longer than thirty minutes. This is the best we can do for him, now we wait for the bruise to heal.” 

  
  
  
  
  


Changbin and the others continued the game, though Chan didn’t want to injure anyone else so he insisted to sit out and just be a ref. 

  
  


After about an hour, the game finished. Chan's team won even without him, but it was probably because of how far ahead they got with his help. 

  
  


Changbin was taking a drink of water when Hyunjin slowly made his way outside, holding the pack of ice which was now fully melted. He looked around at everyone. “What happened?”

  
  


Chan nervously glanced at Changbin, who gave the eldest a reassuring smile and stepped forward to speak up, prepared to give Hyunjin as vague an answer as possible. But instead, Jisung ran to his friend's side and inspected the bruise. 

  
  


“Damn… Chan really did a number on you,” Jisung laughed. 

  
  


_Well shit_. 

  
  


Changbin’s planned explanation got thrown out the window, and he saw Chan from the corner of his eye, looking absolutely horrified and guilty. He ran to Hyunjin and dramatically fell on his knees, bowing his head and apologizing over and over. Hyunjin stepped back a little from surprise, but then quickly knelt down with Chan and took the older boy’s hands in his own. 

  
  


“It’s really alright. Just hurts a little. Thanks to this,” he paused to hold up the melted ice pack, “it’ll heal quicker.” 

  
  


Chan looked relieved, as the two stood up. He glanced Changbin’s way and smiled. “Thank Changbin. He caught you before you could fall, carried you inside, _and_ held the ice pack to your head for like half an hour.” 

  
  


Hyunjin’s eyes widened, and he turned to Changbin. 

  
  


_Fuck._

Changbin didn’t plan on telling Hyunjin that truth either. He probably wouldn’t like the idea that it was Changbin who helped him. 

  
  


But to his surprise, Hyunjin made his way to Changbin… and _smiled_. 

  
  


“Thank you,” he said plainly, but Changbin could hear genuine gratitude in his voice. 

  
  


He smiled back, shrugging a bit. “It was nothing, really. I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

  
  


There was an awkward silence for a moment, in which Hyunjin’s expression changed, and it looked like he had no clue what to say in return. So instead, he suddenly turned to the others and asked aloud, “Lunch?” 

  
  
  
  
  


The group had filled their bellies after a long morning of volleyball, and were now indulging in some free time to do whatever they each wanted for the rest of the day. The plan was that they wouldn’t do all the fun activities on just the first few days, deciding it would be smarter to spread them out through the first month at least. 

  
  


Hyunjin and Changbin returned to their room, in which the younger went to the bathroom while Changbin sat on the bed, scrolling on his phone. He was just about to put his earphones in, when there was a sudden scream that came from inside.

_Hyunjin!?_

  
  


Changbin jumped off the bed and hurried to the bathroom, deciding to knock first. When there was no answer, he bit his lip and opened the unlocked door, stepping inside to see Hyunjin looking at himself in the mirror. His hands were tightly gripping the sink, his body still. With a pale face, eyes blown, and mouth agape. 

  
  


He was obviously looking at the unpleasant bruise that covered most of his forehead. 

  
  


Changbin slowly approached him, but before he could say anything, Hyunjin whipped around and looked down at the shorter boy, extremely upset. 

  
  


“Nobody said anything!?” 

  
  


Changbin gulped. 

  
  


“W-What do you mean?? We thought you already saw it and were alr-“

  
  


“How could I be alright with this!?” Hyunjin cut him off, continuing to panic. He turned back to the mirror and looked at himself again, eyes watering. “It’s so… I’m so ugly.” 

  
  


Something clicked in Changbin at those words, and he spun the taller boy back around, dead serious. “No! You’re really beautiful, Hyunjin. A pathetic little bruise isn’t gonna change that.” 

Hyunjin immediately stopped frowning, blinking back tears and looking down at Changbin with wide eyes. It was obvious he did not expect that. He suddenly looked elsewhere, cheeks turning a rosy pink. 

  
  


“Thanks….” he murmured. 

  
  


Changbin pressed his lips together tightly, inhaling deeply through his nose to calm himself. Hyunjin was _so cute._

  
  


“It’s just…” Hyunjin spoke up again, and Changbin nodded, letting him know he was listening. “My whole life, most people only liked me or wanted to be my friend because of my looks. They never really tried to even get to know me. So, I always want to look my best, so that…. I won’t be alone.”

  
  


Changbin was shocked. And not just by the fact that Hyunjin was opening up about his worries with him, of all people.

  
  


It was that they were almost going through the same exact thing. 

  
  


“So that’s why I’m freaking out about the bruise…” Hyunjin continued, laughing a little at his own misery. “I guess my looks are all I have, without that too… who would like me?”

  
  


Changbin wanted so badly to reach out and hold the boy’s face in his hand. 

  
  


“Hyunjin, that’s not true. You have more than just your looks, and you have friends who like you for those reasons. You aren’t really alone.” 

  
  


Funny how he was telling Hyunjin all this; Changbin could really use his own advice and comfort. 

  
  


“And anyways, I _just_ met you yet I like everything about you. I could care less about the bruise.”

  
  


He smiled at Hyunjin to reassure him, who in turn smiled back, just a little. He seemed to gain some peace of mind from the older boy’s words.

  
  


Hyunjin awkwardly tucked his hair behind his ear, that’s when Changbin noticed how red they were. Was Hyunjin also _flustered?_

  
  


Now Changbin was really confused. 

  
  


He noticed Hyunjin struggling to respond as usual, so he just laughed a bit and said, “Anyways... let’s get out of the bathroom, shall we?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awkward boys


	4. movie nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jisung knows all.

A week went by like that; the first week.

  
  


Every night, Changbin and Hyunjin would go to sleep on the far opposite ends of the bed, and the latter would always wake up first. They’d do random activities, like play ball games, or just explore the area. Sometimes they’d even just explore the beach house itself, or all sit together and watch a movie. They had yet to go in the water, saving it for a very hot day. 

  
  


Hyunjin’s bruise was also healing well. One more week and it would probably almost be gone. 

  
  


But after their moment in the bathroom, the day of the volleyball game, the two boys barely talked. Even when they were in their bedroom. It was mostly silence every time, with the occasional, “I’ll shower first,” or awkward, “Goodnight.” 

  
  


By the time the second week of their vacation was almost over, Changbin couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t want things to be weird with Hyunjin forever. But he wasn’t that great at starting conversations or small talk. He aced in flirting though, which he still wasn’t sure was an okay thing to do. 

  
  


So while the boys were all sitting around the living room at midnight, scrolling through Netflix on the TV to choose a movie, Changbin dragged Jisung into the kitchen saying that they’d prepare snacks. 

  
  


After putting a packet of popcorn in the microwave and starting it up, Changbin casually leaned on the counter, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. 

  
  


“So… Ji,” Changbin began.

  
  


“Yeah?” The younger piped up, opening a packet of potato chips into a large bowl. 

  
  


“This is just a completely random question I have, but, are your friends... ”

  
  


“Hyunjin is gay as fuck, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jisung calmly interrupted.

  
  


Changbin almost choked on his own spit. 

  
  


“I wasn’t _just_ asking about-” 

  
  


“Oh but you _were_. I know you’re only curious about Hyunjin,” Jisung cut him off again. “Me and Minho figured it out a long time ago. It’s honestly really obvious.”

  
  


“Felix liking Seungmin is more obvious,” Changbin tried to change the subject, but Jisung just grinned. 

  
  


“I’ll be your wingman, don’t you even worry your gay little head about it,” he winked, but before Changbin could refuse his ‘offer,’ the younger boy took the bowl of chips and left. 

  
  


Changbin stood alone in the kitchen, _many_ thoughts going through his mind.

  
  


As soon as the popcorn was done, he put it into another bowl and made his way to the living room. When he arrived, he noticed all the seats were taken, so he stood awkwardly for a few seconds before deciding to sit on the floor. 

  
  


“Wait,” Jisung called to him, gesturing for the dark haired boy to come over. Changbin sighed, making his way there, only halfway realizing that it was a bad idea. Jisung was sitting between Minho and… _Hyunjin._

  
  


“Bin, take my spot,” he stood up, literally pushing Changbin down onto the couch, the popcorn in his hands spilling a little. 

  
  


“What- where will _you_ sit then?”

  
  


Jisung didn’t need to answer. He simply plopped down onto Minho’s lap, shifting around a little until he found a comfortable position. Minho happily welcomed his boyfriend, slipping his arms around Jisung’s tiny waist and giving him a small kiss on his neck. 

  
  


This was all happening right beside Changbin, so he sighed and faced the front, not daring to look to his left where Hyunjin was sitting so close that their legs were touching. He kept his arms folded, shrinking to become as small as he possibly could… which was hard considering how broad he was. 

  
  


_Why is it so hot?_

  
  


Changbin pulled at the collar of his shirt, taking a deep breath as the movie started.

  
  


“Wait so what are we watching?” 

  
  


“A horror movie,” Chan replied, giggling. 

  
  


_Fucking great._

  
  


As the movie played on, Changbin was genuinely trying to enjoy himself, but all he could think about was Hyunjin.

  
  


Hyunjin, who he initially thought was straight.

  
  


Hyunjin, who actually turned out to be very much gay.

  
  


Hyunjin, who was sitting _right next to him_.

  
  


And the worst part was that everytime he got scared by the movie, he’d grab onto Changbin’s arm. He was pretty sure Hyunjin was unaware of this too, he seemed to be doing it absentmindedly, his full attention on the TV. And of course, Changbin was too afraid to say anything, so he just sat there, trying to calm himself every time he’d feel a soft tug on his arm, or hear an adorable little gasp. 

  
  


After about halfway through came the scariest pop-up yet, and Hyunjin shrieked, hiding his face against Changbin’s shoulder. 

  
  


His heart suddenly beat faster, as he glanced down at Hyunjin who was now attached to his left side, eyes squeezed shut and hands clutching him tightly. Changbin glanced to his other side, where Jisung and Minho were watching them with smug grins. He sighed, trying not to think so much about how he was burning up. 

  
  


Changbin was freaking out more because of the situation than the horror movie. 

  
  


As it neared the end, he actually started to pay attention to the TV. Since he basically missed the whole first half, he continuously asked questions, and it was obvious the others were getting annoyed. 

  
  


“SHUT UP!” Jeongin complained, which was quite unexpected coming from such an innocent face. He said that just as the movie came to an end. “Look at that, it’s over now. If you ask anything else I’ll attack you!”

  
  


Changbin just chuckled in response. The movement shook his body, which is probably why the boy next to him made a soft noise. 

  
  


_Oh right- Hyunjin._

  
  


Changbin must have completely forgotten about him at some point, so now he turned to see what the boy was doing, only to realize he had fallen asleep. 

  
  


On Changbin’s shoulder.

  
  


With his hands still holding onto Changbin’s arm tightly. 

  
  


And his silky hair was in Changbin’s face too. He could smell vanilla. _He loved it._

  
  


Changbin craned his neck a little to get a better view of Hyunjin’s face. His brows were drawn together, maybe he was dreaming. His lips were also slightly parted, no drool, but they were puffed up a bit. It made them look even softer… 

  
  


_Click._

  
  


Changbin immediately glanced up to see Seungmin, holding a polaroid camera. The photo slowly slided out, and he smirked.

  
  


“Hey!” Changbin whisper-yelled, but Seungmin just waved the polaroid in front of him before running off. He was tempted to go after the boy, but couldn’t at the moment. 

  
  


“Hyunjin,” He called out in a warm tone, gently shaking his shoulder. The sleepy boy hummed in response, eyes slowly fluttering open, his grip loosening. 

  
  


“Let me help you to the bedroom,” Changbin finally stood up, taking Hyunjin’s hand and pulling him up carefully, then placing his arm around his shoulders. 

  
  


Hyunjin was so out of it he was stumbling more than walking, so Changbin held most of his weight, carefully leading him up the stairs and to their bed. After gently laying the boy down, he pulled the covers over him and even tucked him in, smiling fondly.

  
  


Once Changbin was done with everything else, he slipped into bed as well, being careful not to wake Hyunjin. He sighed, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. 

  
  


_I like Hyunjin._

  
  


Changbin blushed just thinking about it. He really thought it was just a silly attraction at first, but now it was so hard for him to control how he felt. Especially with the knowledge that Hyunjin liked boys too, he felt like he really had a chance. 

  
  


One thing was for sure, Hyunjin was special. He had Changbin head over heels for him, and it had only been two weeks since they met. It was kind of odd, considering the younger boy spent most of that time avoiding the other, but that was also precisely what made Changbin want Hyunjin more and more. 

  
  


With these thoughts-happy, hopeful thoughts-he went to sleep. 

  
  
  
  
  


The next day, Changbin arrived for breakfast late. Again.

  
  


The very first thing he noticed after walking into the kitchen with his usual messy hair and crumpled clothes, was Seungmin holding the photo he took from the night before. He was making his way to where Hyunjin was sitting at the kitchen counter, peacefully eating. 

  
  


Changbin’s eyes widened, the hunger in his stomach replacing with panic.

  
  


_No! Hyunjin can’t see that!_

  
  


Changbin felt like he had never ran faster in his life than he did in that moment, soaring past Seungmin and snatching the polaroid from his hand in one swift move. 

  
  


_Just before Hyunjin sees it. Whew._

  
  


Both boys looked at Changbin, Hyunjin in confusion and Seungmin with a smug grin.

  
  


“Hey, what are you doing?” Hyunjin asked, as Changbin tried to figure out how he was going to get out of this. 

  
  


“He’s not gonna let you see that photo,” Seungmin smirked. “It’s from last night.” 

  
  


_Well fuck. Thank you, Seungmin._

  
  


“What!?” Hyunjin looked nervous, really wanting to get his hands on that polaroid now. He got out of his seat and dashed over to Changbin, who saw him coming so he spun around and hurried away as fast as he could. When he turned around, Hyunjin was right behind him, his expression actually kind of scary for the first time. 

  
  


_Oh shit._

  
  


Changbin darted out of the kitchen, and the two found themselves running around the living room. At one point, Hyunjin suddenly popped out of nowhere and surprised the other boy. He kept grabbing for the photo while Changbin stumbled backwards, finding it extremely difficult to keep out of reach since he was shorter. So he just kept backing up until his legs hit the couch all of a sudden and he fell backwards with a gasp. 

  
  


That’s when Hyunjin did the most unexpected thing. 

  
  


He literally _climbed_ onto the older boy. 

  
  


Changbin watched him, almost losing it. He held his breath as Hyunjin scrambled all over him. Even with his hand stretched all the way out, the polaroid was eventually snatched. 

  
  


As soon as he got possession of the cursed photo, Hyunjin clambered off, seeming completely unfazed. On the other hand, Changbin was blinking, still trying to comprehend what just happened. Once he came to his senses, he jumped to his feet and came up behind Hyunjin who was unfortunately looking at the picture. He had to go on his tiptoes to see over the taller boy’s shoulder. 

  
  


He hadn’t actually seen it until then, but what he saw is exactly what he feared. 

  
  


In the photo, Hyunjin was all snuggled up against Changbin, gripping his arm tightly while his head rested on his shoulder, lips slightly parted. It was just as Changbin remembered. 

  
  


And then of course, there was Changbin, peering down at the sleeping boy. It looked completely wrong, which was precisely what he didn’t want Hyunjin to see. 

  
  


It looked like Changbin was about to kiss Hyunjin.

He panicked. After being so hopeful that night, now everything was ruined. Hyunjin would misunderstand and then hate him for sure, think he was some sort of pervert. 

But then, as if things couldn’t be any more unexpected that day, he turned around with worried eyes, suddenly bowing his head. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your personal space-” Hyunjin bit his lip and looked back up. “I-I don’t think I even knew what I was doing I-”

Changbin was definitely taken aback, among other things. 

_How is he talking about personal space after practically crawling all over me?_

  
  


“Hey hey, woah, hold on,” he cut him off from saying more. “You don’t need to apologize, like at all. I really didn’t mind, you were just scared by the movie, and sleepy. I wasn’t bothered by it one bit.” 

  
  


Hyunjin relaxed a little, letting out a sigh he probably didn’t know he was holding. “Are you sure?” 

  
  


Well technically Changbin _was_ slightly bothered that night, but it was because of reasons he couldn't reveal to Hyunjin. At least not yet. 

  
  


“Of course,” Changbin gave him the same reassuring smile that he did the day Hyunjin was hit in the head. 

  
  


Everything was going so well until his mouth opened again and he failed to hold back. 

  
  


“I mean, for you I’d allow any and all invasion of personal space.”

  
  


Hyunjin made a noise that sounded like he was choking, then he just dropped the polaroid from his hand and darted off. Changbin watched it slowly and sadly drift to the floor, feeling his heart sink in a similar way.

  
  


He smacked his head. 

  
  


_Great fucking job, Changbin. He’s_ definitely _falling for you now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> changbin: i'm an ace at flirting  
> also changbin: sit on my face :D


	5. sweaty mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bad a/c :(

By the end of the third week, things were even more awkward between the two boys. 

Even worse, the central air conditioning fucking broke.

  
  


They called maintenance, who came to check it out and confirmed that it would need to be fully replaced. Considering the size of the beach house, they said it would take up to four days to fix. 

Changbin went with Seungmin and Felix that evening to buy handheld fans from the convenience store. The whole trip was just Changbin walking by himself behind the two who couldn’t stop chatting and giggling. As much as he was happy to see them like that, he was also jealous. Things never seemed to work out for him, but he also wasn’t one to give up. 

  
  
  
  
  


The first night they spent without the A/C, well, in short... it felt like living on the sun. 

  
  


Changbin walked up to his bedroom, holding one of the little fans they bought. 

  
  


_These are so pathetic._

  
  


They didn’t even work that well, so in the end, they were useless. 

  
  


When he entered the room, he spotted Hyunjin sitting against the headboard on his side of the bed, reading a book under the lamp light. Changbin chuckled when he noticed that the covers were on the floor. 

  
  


“Sorry… it was just so hot and I got kind of frustrated..” Hyunjin answered before the other boy could ask. 

  
  


Changbin found that endearing, imagining an annoyed little Hyunjin raging at the covers and kicking them down. 

  
  


“That's okay, I didn't plan on sleeping with them either.” 

  
  


He closed the door, sighing as he pulled his sticky shirt off against his body for a second. Thinking it would probably just be best to sleep without, he grabbed the hem and pulled it over his head in one swoop. His damp hair fell around his eyes, and there was a sheen of sweat on his toned body that almost sparkled in the faint light of the lamp next to Hyunjin.

  
  


Changbin adjusted his shorts around the waist, at which Hyunjin flinched. So he looked up briefly to see the younger boy staring at him with wide eyes. He quickly averted his gaze as soon as he realized Changbin caught him. 

  
  


_Well, well, well._

  
  


Changbin was reminded of how much he enjoyed flustering Hyunjin. So he slowly made his way across the room, attempting to look as desirable as possible while he climbed onto the bed on all fours, crawling towards Hyunjin now with a sultry expression.

  
  


The boy gasped, almost jumping at the unexpected action and backing up completely against the headboard.

  
  


“W-What-” he tried to speak, as Changbin eventually reached his side. In the silence of the room, he could almost hear how fast Hyunjin’s heart was beating. His face wasn’t tomato red, but it was close. He had a visible blush dusting his cheeks and ears, his plump lips slightly fallen apart, his own hair damp and sweaty against his forehead, his breathing fast but breathy.

  
  


Shy, sweet eyes, looked up at Changbin nervously. 

  
  


_Holy shit._

  
  


Even though Changbin was the one trying, Hyunjin looked so goddamn sexy.

  
  


The mood in the room suddenly shifted, and Changbin let his eyes stray down to those pretty lips for just a split second, hoping Hyunjin wouldn’t notice. Then he continued, leaning across and over the younger boy’s body. Hyunjin stiffened, Changbin’s bare chest was right in front of his face. 

  
  


He flinched at the sound of the lamp clicking shut, and turned to his side to see Changbin’s finger on the switch. They looked at each other in the darkness for a moment, in which Changbin winked at him, before retreating to his side of the bed. He didn’t miss Hyunjin’s undeniably confused yet flustered expression.

  
  


Changbin was laying on his side, eyes closed. But he could feel Hyunjin staring at his back. 

  
  


“Are you not going to sleep?”

  
  


“How-” Hyunjin tried to speak, but Changbin looked back at him just in time to catch the boy indeed staring. 

  
  


“No need to explain,” Changbin smirked. “Just enjoying the view, I see.”

  
  


Hyunjin squeaked, turning away from embarrassment and hiding under his pillow. 

  
  


Changbin smiled like a fool as he fell asleep that night. 

  
  
  
  
  


[ brief passage from hyunjin’s pov ]

The next morning, Hyunjin had woken up in the same position he fell asleep in. The light spilling into the room and in his face caused him to groan. About to get up to close the curtains, he suddenly was aware of the weight around his waist and the slow, heavy breathing against his shoulder. 

  
  


He realized that Changbin was hugging him from behind, with his face pressed against the back of Hyunjin’s neck, and his large frame just completely enveloping Hyunjin’s smaller one.

  
  


A scarlet blush crept onto Hyunjin's cheeks, and he suddenly felt really hot. It didn't help that Changbin was so warm, contributing even more to the heat. The entire back of Hyunjin’s shirt was soaked with sweat to the point that he could also feel Changbin’s firm muscles against his back.

  
  


But it was the fact that the older boy was quite literally spooning him that had Hyunjin screaming on the inside. He could feel Changbin’s crotch against his ass. 

  
  


He thought he might die if Changbin woke up. So he tried to get out of his hold without waking him, but his grasp was unfortunately too strong. All the struggling just seemed to do the exact opposite of what he wanted.

  
  


Changbin shifted a little, mumbling something Hyunjin couldn’t make out, and rubbing his nose into Hyunjin’s skin on his neck. The latter got goosebumps at the action, his shoulder clenching and body stiffening.

  
  


Changbin groaned, his arm around Hyunjins waist tightened it's grip, making the boy have to bite his lip to stop from squealing out.

[ end - return to changbin’s pov ]

  
  


Changbin finally opened his eyes, met with Hyunjin’s hair in his face. That familiar scent of vanilla filled his senses. 

  
  


Immediately, he realized what was happening, and released his taut hold on the lithe figure, moving back and breathing heavily from the heat. His naked torso glistened with sweat in the sunlight. 

  
  


Hyunjin finally turned around to face him, those same rosy cheeks and innocent look gracing Changbin’s vision. This may have been the first time he’d seen the younger boy in the morning. He looked more than beautiful, Changbin was sure there was no word to describe it. 

  
  


“I’m sorry…” Changbin trailed off, scratching the back of his head as he looked around to see what might’ve caused him to cling to Hyunjin like that. 

  
  


He had a frequent habit of hugging something in his sleep, which was why sometimes he truly couldn’t sleep without his trusty Gyu, but he hadn’t brought that little plushie on the trip for obvious reasons. So he had been using a pillow to hold for the past few nights. 

  
  


He glanced around, spotting that pillow on the floor, realizing now that it must've fallen some time during the night. A sleepy, unconscious Changbin was just searching for something to grab onto, that something being the only other thing on the bed: Hyunjin.

  
  


Luckily, Changbin didn't need to explain this to the other boy, who understood right away. He, of course, already knew the Gyu story thanks to Felix, and had noticed Changbin hugging that pillow every night. Despite knowing the reason, Hyunjin still seemed to be shy about it.

  
  


“It’s okay,” Hyunjin said meekly, tucking away some loose strands of hair and trying not to look at Changbin’s sweaty body. “I was just really hot..” he added, to make the mood less awkward.

  
  


Changbin chuckled softly, shaking his head a bit. “No it's not okay, I really am sorry, for both boiling and squeezing the life out of you.”

  
  


Hyunjin giggled at that. Changbin _loved_ the sound of it.

  
  
  
  
  


After showering, the boys joined everyone in the kitchen who were already eating a pancake and fruit breakfast made by Felix. He greeted the latecomers, telling them to sit at the counter.

  
  


“Did you two not get enough sleep last night..?” Chan asked, a smug look on his face.

  
  


Hyunjin suddenly seemed to remember the events of said night, his posture tensing. 

  
  


“I guess not,” Changbin answered cheekily, shrugging his shoulders and digging into the delicious bowl of fruit. “Why didn't you just wake us up?”

  
  


Chan made a weird face, tilting his head a bit. “Well.. I was going to, but when I came into your room this morning you guys looked like you could use some privacy, so I didn't want to disturb.”

  
  


Jisung had been listening all along from his spot on the sofa, food in his mouth as he spoke. “Wait, hold on, Chan why didn't you tell me this? What were they doing?” 

  
  


He walked over to interrogate the two, at which Changbin just sighed and rolled his eyes, while Hyunjin’s movements stiffened even more as he ate. 

  
  


Chan smirked again. “Well it looked like Hyunjin has become a replacement for Gyu.”

  
  


Hyunjin coughed loudly.

  
  


Jisung snorted, smacking Changbin on the back as he was trying to drink water, causing him to cough as well and spill some of the water onto his plate of pancakes. 

  
  


_Son of a-_

  
  


“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Jisung genuinely sounded proud. 

  
  


Changbin tried not to choke, while Hyunjin just kept shoving food into his mouth too quickly, his hand covering his ears that were turning red.

  
  


Attempting to get off the topic, Changbin poked at his now soggy pancakes, “What about you? Where’s Minho?” 

  
  


He scanned the room, the only other boys he saw were Jeongin and Seungmin, talking amongst themselves as they ate.

  
  


A huge smile crept onto Jisung’s face, and Changbin already regretted asking.

  
  


“Well, he had something planned for last night, but I turned the tables, took control for the first time ever and it was amazing. He was all surprised at first, like ‘get away from my ass!’ but I’ll never forget how I had him writhing in pleasure under my tou-” 

  
  


Hyunjin covered his friend's mouth with his hand, face twisted in disgust. Changbin couldn’t hold back a laugh. Hyunjin never failed to amuse him. 

  
  


“Good for you but- nobody wants to hear it, Ji,” Changbin put a forkful of soggy pancake into his mouth.

  
  


Once Hyunjin removed his hand, Jisung just smirked. “Fine. But anyhow, Minho is.. recovering. He said it still hurts, but he’ll come out of the room soon enough.” 

  
  


Eventually, everyone headed out the kitchen until the two were left alone at the counter, the younger boy’s nose still scrunched up.

  
  


“You don’t like that stuff, do you?” Changbin wondered, and Hyunjin started chewing slower, his eyes moving in thought as he faced down at his pancakes.

  
  


“No,” He said plainly, and Changbin raised a brow.

  
  


“No as in no you _don't_ like it, or no you _do_ like it?” 

  
  


“Why do you want to know?” Hyunjin huffed, his face of annoyance so cute to Changbin. “I hate it, it's gross.”

  
  


“Yeah, but would it be so gross if it were happening to you?” Changbin ignored Hyunjin's question, continuing to ask his own. 

  
  


Hyunjin stopped eating at that, looking like he was really thinking about it, considering it, and Changbin could see his ears turning red again. He chuckled softly to himself, which brought Hyunjin back from his thoughts. He didn't say anything, just got up with his plate and left.

  
  


“I think you’re just pretending,” Changbin said to the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for once in his life, changbin may finally be right... ;)


	6. touches & tickles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont be shy, hyunjin!

Three days later, the air conditioning was supposed to be done getting replaced by the evening. 

  
  


It also happened to be the hottest day yet, so the boys decided it was finally time to spend the entire day in the water. Until then, they had only really gone in for a little bit and with certain people. Apparently, Jisung and Minho also went skinny dipping one night, but that was a whole other story. 

  
  


That day though, they planned to go altogether and have a fun time despite the scorching heat. 

  
  


Changbin was wearing a pair of single-coloured swim shorts in a dark shade of orange. His hair was a tousled mess as usual, sunglasses perched on his head. 

  
  


Most of the boys were shirtless, actually all of them were. All except for Hyunjin.

  
  


He came out in light blue shorts and a black shirt, dark hair pulled back into a half-ponytail. He looked so pretty and perfect as always, leaving Changbin’s heart throbbing. 

  
  


“Hyunjin, you’re the odd one out,” Minho pointed out, walking up to the boy. “It’s okay to take your shirt off. It’s so damn hot outside and look at you wearing black.” 

  
  


Hyunjin shook his head, “I-I don’t want to.”

  
  


Changbin wanted to interfere, tell Minho to just let him be. But Jisung was quicker. 

  
  


“What’s wrong? I’ve been swimming with you many times before and you’ve never done this?” Jisung looked as if he was confused, but Changbin had a feeling he already knew what the problem was.

  
  


“Well… it’s just that-” Hyunjin started to say, but stopped almost immediately. He gripped the sides of his shirt tightly, before taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh. “Nevermind.”

  
  


Then he pulled it off, tossing it to the side and splashing into the water. 

  
  


_Oh._

  
  


Changbin thought he might’ve stopped breathing for a whole minute, staring in awe. Hyunjin was absolutely _gorgeous._ His beauty was not just in his face, but probably his whole body. His was simply divine, his delicate features and even the little details so enchanting. Changbin felt like he was under some sort of spell. It took almost everything in him to look away. 

  
  
  
  
  


The boys had quite an enjoyable day, the water keeping them cool.

As a break, they all sat in the sand together and ate these massive slices of watermelon that Chan cut, their hands becoming sticky. Changbin couldn’t help but look over at Hyunjin, only to see the boy wiping watermelon juice from his chin with the back of his hand. A completely normal, simple act, yet it made Changbin go insane. It was so impossible to hold back anymore. 

  
  


He got up abruptly, heading back into the ocean to calm his mind. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes and just focusing on the sound of the waves. 

  
  


How much longer could he keep up with just flirting? It was getting him nowhere. Hyunjin was… clearly uninterested. He should’ve given up long ago. 

  
  


_But I don’t want to give up._

  
  
  
  
  


Finally, the air con was fixed.

The sun had started to set, so the boys went back inside. They had been in the water so long that their skin was all wrinkled up. Changbin took a shower as soon as they finished having dinner. Hyunjin went right after him, the smell of seawater still prominent on his skin as they passed by each other. 

  
  


Changbin laid down on the bed, just about ready to pass out from the exhausting day. But then he remembered he didn’t even brush his teeth. Knowing Hyunjin liked to take baths over showers, he just barged into the unlocked bathroom. 

  
  


Hyunjin gasped loudly at this, making a big fuss, as he brought his knees to his chest. There was no point though, that boy had the tub filled up with bubbles, so nothing was visible but his knees and shoulders up. 

  
  


Changbin didn’t say anything, heading straight to the sink and squirting out some toothpaste on his brush. His back was to Hyunjin.

  
  


“You’re watching me through the mirror, aren’t you?”

  
  


Changbin chuckled, pausing to speak around the foam in his mouth. 

  
  


“Well no, but if I was… would that be a problem?”

  
  


“Yes!”

  
  


Changbin spit into the sink, rinsing his mouth with water.

  
  


“Then can I join you?” 

  
  


Hyunjin was suddenly quiet. So Changbin did glance up at the mirror, just once. He saw the younger boy’s face turning red. It made Changbin blush. 

  
  


_Is he actually… considering it?_

  
  


Hyunjin caught him looking, covering his face as he yelled, “Get out!”

  
  
  
  
  


The fourth week of their vacation was coming to an end. One month gone. 

  
  


Changbin found it hard to believe they were already halfway to packing up and heading back home. He was really enjoying this time they were spending together. He made a mental note to thank his friends later for changing his mind. He even went from strangers to friends with Seungmin and Jeongin. 

  
  


Seungmin got on Changbin’s nerves from time to time, but he was a really caring guy after all. And the photos he took were amazing and memorable. Jeongin, on the other hand, felt like an annoying but cute little brother to Changbin, and he always wanted one since he only had an older sister. 

  
  


Then there was Hyunjin. They were strangers to _what_ exactly? Changbin had no idea. 

  
  


All he knew is that he really really liked him. 

  
  
  
  
  


One particular night, Changbin couldn’t sleep. He was shamefully having dirty thoughts about Hyunjin while the boy was peacefully sleeping right next to him. 

  
  


He hated when he was like this, like some animal that couldn't even control itself. He hated that he was even thinking about someone as innocent as Hyunjin in that way. 

  
  


_Is he so innocent though?_

  
  


Changbin couldn’t be sure, Hyunjin acted very strangely sometimes. 

  
  


He glanced to his left, watching the boy breathe in and out softly. The moon shining on his face made him look almost ethereal. Changbin was convinced that Hyunjin must be some sort of otherworldly being, too good for this world or to _be_ from this world. 

His eyes landed on Hyunjin’s lips yet again. So pink and plump as always. 

  
  


Tempted, he reached out almost unconsciously, as he lost himself for a moment. His finger slightly brushed the boy’s bottom lip, and it was just as incredibly soft as Changbin always imagined. He wondered what it would feel like against his own lips. 

  
  


_Probably like pillows._

  
  


“What are you doing?” Hyunjin suddenly spoke, eyes fluttering open. Changbin flinched, quickly retracting his hand. 

  
  


“What do you mean? I’m not doing anything,” he attempted to play dumb. 

  
  


_I’m dead._

  
  


Hyunjin turned on his side to face Changbin, eyes narrowed. “Do you always do this while I’m sleeping?” 

  
  


“Do what?” Changbin continued his failing act.

  
  


But Hyunjin was now looking at him in annoyance. 

  
  


“Okay I’m sorry!” Changbin confessed, embarrassed that the boy caught him. “But I swear this was the first time!”

  
  


_Please don’t think I’m a creep._

  
  


“Do you like my lips?” Hyunjin asked unexpectedly, and Changbin was more than surprised at how nonchalant the younger was. “Do you want to… kiss me?”

  
  


_O-Out of nowhere? Holy fuck, what’s happening?_

  
  


He had no idea how to respond to Hyunjin, so he answered the question with a question.

  
  


“Do you want me to say yes?” 

  
  


A long pause.

  
  


“Maybe…”

  
  


Changbin’s mouth fell open. He tried to say something but no words came out. 

  
  


_Did he really just say that, or am I dreaming?_

  
  


“S-Stop looking at me like that!” Hyunjin turned to stare at the ceiling again, his cheeks turning a rosy pink. 

  
  


“But what do you mean by maybe?” Changbin wondered aloud, sitting up in curiosity, but more so anticipation. 

  
  


“Go search it up in a dictionary!” Hyunjin sat up too, not wanting to be looked down on. 

  
  


_He could’ve just said no. But he didn’t._

  
  


“You actually want me, don’t you?” Changbin gave him a smirk, drawing closer.

“What! No I don’t! You’re stinky and annoying!” Hyunjin pushed him back, pretending to make a face.

“You don’t mean that,” Changbin tried to play along, pouting, but he couldn’t hold back a laugh at Hyunjin’s childish antics. 

“Yes I do, I don’t lie,” Hyunjin crossed his arms.

_He’s even lying about not lying._

“Hyunjin, do you like me?”

He got quiet.

“Well, what would you do… if I did?” Hyunjin asked slowly, looking at Changbin with wondering eyes as his ears and cheeks had now gone from the faint pink to a red. 

  
  


_What would I do?_

  
  


Changbin immediately pushed Hyunjin down on the bed, hovering above him with his hands and knees on either side of the slim figure. Hyunjin gasped, spluttering at the sudden action, his chest rising and falling rapidly as Changbin looked down at him with seductive eyes. 

  
  


Hyunjin’s long, silky hair was spread out on the bed, and his slightly unbuttoned shirt revealed his collarbones, where Changbin wanted to kiss him so badly. But that was not what he was trying to do at all, he wasn’t done teasing the boy. He was already amused that Hyunjin wasn’t fighting back, he wanted the younger boy to only _think_ he was going to do something to him. 

  
  


And Hyunjin believed it, his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed, face tomato red now. He averted his eyes from Changbin and murmured something, but the older didn’t hear him. 

  
  


Instead, Changbin began attacking him with tickles, which was completely unexpected.

  
  


Hyunjin screamed out through his giggles, trying to cover his stomach and stop the attack. Changbin was showing no mercy, so Hyunjin reached out and gripped the collar of his shirt, pushing with all his might and flipping him onto his back. 

  
  


Now Hyunjin was on top, grabbing Changbin’s wrists in a swift movement and pinning his hands to the side of his head on the bed. Changbin was the one to gasp now, surprised at Hyunjin’s actions. But he looked up at the boy and still saw the same innocence in his eyes, with a hint of mischief. 

  
  


_This is so unlike him, though._

  
  


“What? Did you think I was so weak?” Hyunjin smirked down at Changbin, still hovering above the older boy. 

  
  


“Possibly…” Changbin grinned. “But you’ve proved me wrong.” 

  
  


“Good,” Hyunjin giggled, and with that, he sat down on Changbin. 

  
  


_Oh my god._

  
  


Changbin bit his lip hard to muffle out the groan that almost escaped his lips, with the sudden weight of Hyunjin’s body. It didn’t help at all that his ass was right on Changbin’s crotch, but it seemed the younger didn’t even realize… _or did he?_ Hyunjin still had the older’s arms pinned down, and he wasn’t saying a word. 

  
  


Changbin gulped, feeling a warmth pooling in his stomach, and his brows were probably furrowed from trying to focus his senses elsewhere so that Hyunjin wouldn’t feel the growing problem. 

  
  


“What are you trying to do… ?” Changbin wondered aloud, the nervousness in his voice evident. 

  
  


“What?” Hyunjin blinked, shaking his head slightly as if he was coming out of a trance. He immediately withdrew his grip on Changbin’s wrists and got off his body, looking at him with embarrassed eyes. 

  
  


Before Changbin could even say anything, Hyunjin dove under the covers and pulled them up over his head to hide his face. 

  
  


“Just- go to sleep and pretend this never happened!” Hyunjin’s voice came out muffled. 

  
  


Neither of them could go to sleep that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hyunjin.. ????


	7. rainy days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rain is the best :D

The first half of the next week went by as usual. Changbin tried to forget about the events of a few nights ago, but it was near impossible. 

_How does he expect me to just pretend nothing happened?_

Changbin sighed, dismally watching the rain pour outside. 

“Guys, I just checked the weather forecast and it’s supposed to be like this for the rest of the week,” Jeongin announced. 

_Just perfect._

If anything could make things worse for Changbin, it would be the gloomy fucking weather. 

  
  


But the boys endured, spending the next couple of days trying to have fun indoors. They watched plenty of movies, and played plenty of random games that Jisung somehow kept coming up with. It wasn’t too bad.

  
  
  
  
  


One of those nights, Changbin woke up to the sound of the balcony doors opening and the pitter patter of rain. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he spotted Hyunjin resting his arms on the railing, looking out into the darkness with only the light of the moon reflecting off the waves. 

Changbin noticed he was completely drenched, the rain soaking his pajamas. So he got out of bed and quickly grabbed a towel, hurrying to Hyunjin and wrapping him from behind. He tried to bring the boy back in.

“What are you doing? Come inside,” Changbin urged, but Hyunjin just shook his head, gently tossing the towel at Changbin’s face. 

“Hey-” The older boy started, but Hyunjin interrupted him. 

“Sorry,” he giggled quietly, looking back out at the sea. “I just couldn’t sleep. I’ve got something on my mind, I guess.” 

Changbin placed the towel on the bed and then joined Hyunjin on the balcony, standing beside him. He turned to his left to look at him, having to tilt his head upwards a bit to properly see the taller boy, but the rain was getting in his eyes. 

Hyunjin laughed at that, then asked, “Why are you joining me? You seem like the type to hate getting wet in your clothes.”

  
  


“I just want to,” Changbin replied vaguely. “But you _are_ right.. I mean I’d take my clothes off but you’d probably have a panic attack.” 

  
  


“No I would not!” Hyunjin blushed, hitting his shoulder playfully. “Stop looking so smug.”

  
  


Changbin just shrugged, still grinning as he looked out at the water. 

  
  


“Can I know what’s on your mind?” 

  
  


Hyunjin seemed to be hesitating, but then to Changbin’s surprise, he whispered, “You.”

  
  


_I’m sorry,_ what?

  
  


Changbin tried to read his expression, but he refused to look his way. 

  
  


“Wow, me.. peasant Changbin is keeping prince Hyunjin up at night?” He quipped, trying to set a comfortable atmosphere for Hyunjin to relax. 

  
  


The boy did laugh at that, finally turning to Changbin and rolling his eyes. 

  
  


“What are you imagining, hmm? I bet I’m naked~” he continued, and Hyunjin pinched his arm for that. 

  
  


Changbin chuckled through the pain, holding his arm and grinning at an embarrassed but still smiley Hyunjin. 

  
  


“Will you ever stop making dirty jokes with me?”

  
  


“That would be impossible.”

  
  


Hyunjin scoffed at his answer.

  
  


“But really though, I’m right, aren't I? I see the way you look at me.” 

  
  


Hyunjin seemed like he was trying hard not to blush. “Shut up! I’m trying to seriously tell you something here.”

  
  


Changbin put his hands up in a defensive stance. “Okay okay, go ahead I’m listening, what did I do?”

  
  


“What did you do, huh? A lot of things..” Hyunjin laughed nervously, and Changbin was a little confused as to what the younger was implying. He looked like he was debating whether to really tell Changbin or not, and after a few seconds-that felt like a minute, he finally spoke.

“I need you to tell me something,” Hyunjin said first, and Changbin nodded, waiting for the question. 

  
  


“Is everything you say or do to me just for fun? Just to tease me or embarrass me? Is there.. nothing more to it?” 

  
  


_Huh?_

  
  


Changbin was suddenly nervous, trying to read Hyunjin’s face.

  
  


“I-” he was at a loss for words.

  
  


_Should I just tell you?_

  
  


_Tell those questioning eyes that I think you’re the most gorgeous, kind, funny, adorable boy I’ve ever had the chance to meet? That I love to be flirty and tease you because the faint blush on your cheeks makes you look so pretty. That I love to make jokes because your laughter is my favourite sound. That I love annoying you because your furrowed brows and pouty lips are the cutest thing._

  
  


_That I love your beautiful smile._

  
  


_That I think- even though it's only been a month since I met you…_

  
  


_I might be in love._

  
  


Hyunjin tapped his shoulder, and he broke out of his thoughts.

  
  


“Uhhhh,” he droned. 

  
  


_If I tell Hyunjin all this, I’ll scare him off for sure._

  
  


“I guess so, I just like to see your reactions,” Changbin half-lied, thinking that this was probably what Hyunjin wanted to hear, right?

  
  


No.

  
  


Instead, the boy seemed hurt. His brows came together and his bottom lip quivered a bit. Maybe it was just the rain, but it looked like Hyunjin was tearing up.

  
  


_When will I ever fucking do something right?_

  
  


As Changbin realized he made a horrible mistake, Hyunjin barely whispered, “I see,” before turning around to head inside. 

  
  


Changbin instinctively reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him, but Hyunjin didn’t look back. His shoulders were shaking, and Changbin felt his heart drop.

  
  


If he listened closely enough, past the pitter patter of the rain, he could hear Hyunjin crying. 

  
  


_Fuck fuck fuck._

  
  


“I’m sorr-”

  
  


“No, it’s okay,” Hyunjin interrupted him, sniffling quietly. “It makes sense, you don’t really know me.. It’s fun to just joke around, I get it.”

  
  


Changbin desperately shook his head even though Hyunjin wasn’t looking. 

  
  


“I just.. I can’t believe I thought-“ Hyunjin turned around a bit, and Changbin could see the tears mixing with the raindrops on his cheeks, “-that maybe you were doing it because.. you liked me.” 

  
  


Suddenly, everything went silent. 

  
  


Changbin couldn’t hear the rain, he couldn’t even hear his own heart. His mind was blank.

  
  


Hyunjin gently removed Changbin’s grip around his wrist, “I guess I was just being stupid,” he took a few steps away, back facing the older boy. 

  
  


Changbin blinked back to reality, sliding his hands down his face in agony.

  
  


_God, I am such a fool._

  
  


When Changbin didn’t say anything, Hyunjin began to head inside. 

  
  


So Changbin quickly slipped his arms around Hyunjin’s middle, his forehead against the boy’s shoulders, just holding him there in the rain. 

  
  


“No, you weren’t,” he sighed, angry with himself for assuming things and messing up big time. “I’m the idiot.” 

  
  


Hyunjin didn’t speak, he just stood there, stiff in the older boy’s hold. So Changbin continued. 

  
  


“Actually, the answer I gave you earlier was sort of a lie… because I thought you disliked me. I thought that if I told you the truth, you’d just avoid me even more.”

  
  


At this unexpected turn of events, Changbin felt Hyunjin take a deep breath. 

  
  


“I really only do all the teasing around because your reactions are absolutely adorable, and I love them. I love seeing you blush or pout or smile or laugh because of something _I_ said or did. Everything was for a reason. This reason-” Changbin paused for a second, feeling as if a huge weight was being taken off his shoulders, “You’re beautiful Hyunjin. Outside _and_ in. The things I’ve said to you were all true, I was never actually joking. I only pretended like I was so I wouldn’t scare you away or something. I was afraid of not getting to see you more often or that you’d start ignoring me for real…”

  
  


Changbin bit his lip, closing his eyes as he said the last part.

  
  


“I know we haven't spent much time together... but I- I really like you Hyunjin.”

  
  


He finally released the back hug along with an enormous sigh of relief, nervously rubbing his rain-soaked arm to calm himself. 

  
  


Hyunjin seemed to be processing every single word Changbin just said, finally turning around to face the shorter boy as he rubbed his now puffy eyes. 

  
  


“You do?”

  
  


Changbin was quick to answer. 

  
  


“Like crazy, maybe even too much. So much that it would hurt because I never imagined you’d like me back.” 

  
  


Hyunjin looked a bit dumbfounded, saying in a pouty tone, “Well you were wrong.” 

  
  


Changbin smiled so widely at that, stepping closer to the cute boy.

  
  


“I know that now.” 

  
  


He realized just how clueless he had been. It made sense now why Hyunjin avoided him. Not because he didn’t like him, but precisely the opposite. Changbin mentally slapped himself. 

  
  


“I think I've liked you since the day we met. You were really… hot,” Hyunjin admitted, covering his face to hide his embarrassment. “But you're more than just that, you’re very nice and funny, and you make me feel so many things… that’s why I tried to stay away from you. It was too hard to be around you and not freak out. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of you.” 

  
  


_Holy fuck._

  
  


Changbin reached for Hyunjin’s hand, intertwining their fingers, as he slipped his other arm around Hyunjin’s waist and pulled him flush against his body.

  
  


Hyunjin was blushing, his cheeks a rosy pink, just the way Changbin loved. 

  
  


He looked up at Hyunjin with so much adoration in his eyes, his face so close that little raindrops were falling off the tip of Hyunjin’s nose and onto Changbin’s bottom lip.. which caused Hyunjin to look down at them.

  
  


Changbin smirked, not used to this new eagerness in Hyunjin. He realized just how good that boy was at hiding _and_ suppressing his feelings, leaving Changbin as clueless as he was the whole time. His occasional strange behaviour also began to make sense now. 

  
  


He too glanced down at Hyunjin’s lips. Those beautiful, luscious lips that Changbin was always awake at night thinking about. 

  
  


But at the moment, he found himself on his tiptoes, the hand that was formerly on Hyunjin’s waist sliding up to the back of his neck, gently pulling the boy down, closer, until the remaining space between their lips was gone.

  
  


Hyunjin’s pillowy lips felt just the way he imagined, so soft and plump. But experiencing it for real was even better. Changbin felt like he was in heaven, perhaps kissing the prettiest angel of all. It was perfect despite being short.

  
  


Sweet and chaste, a kiss full of love-at least on Changbin’s part. He started to wonder if Hyunjin loved him as much as he loved Hyunjin, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind for now, not wanting to ruin the moment. 

  
  


Changbin grinned up at a shy and giggly Hyunjin, looking at him like he was his world and that nothing else mattered. It was just the two of them, which was all he’d ever need. 

  
  


And so they began to dance. 

  
  


No music, no people, no secrets.. just hands linked together, arms around waists, foreheads touching, clothes soaked, smiles wide.

  
  


Just Changbin and Hyunjin, slow dancing under the moon to nothing but the sound of the rain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was one of my favourite chapters to write <3


	8. bubble baths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: sexual content closer to the end!

The first half of the second month was possibly the best two weeks of Changbin’s entire life. He was in this dreamy state the entire time, feeling like he was floating. 

  
  


It was because Changbin and Hyunjin spent every single day together, but not every second. They agreed to hide things from the other boys or else they’d get driven insane by all the questions and teasing. So in front of them they’d act normal, but in private.. well.. that was confidential. 

  
  
  
  
  


One of the very first few nights after they confessed on the balcony, the boys were cuddling in bed. Hyunjin’s face was buried in Changbin’s chest, the latter’s chin resting sofly on his head. He stroked Hyunjin’s silky long hair, inhaling the familiar, intoxicating scent of vanilla. 

  
  


“Binnie?” the younger called out. It was a cute nickname he had recently started to use for Changbin, who loved hearing Hyunjin call him that. 

  
  


“Yes?”

  
  


“I was wondering something…”

  
  


Changbin hummed in response. 

  
  


“Well, does this mean- are we like.. are we boyfriends now?” 

  
  


The older boy grinned, pulling back a little to look down at his adorable _boyfriend._

  
  


“We can be whatever you want us to b-” 

  
  


“Boyfriends!” Hyunjin cut him off excitedly, which caused Changbin to laugh.

  
  


_How are you so cute?_

  
  


“Boyfriends it is then.”

  
  


“Wow, I have the hottest boyfriend in the world.”

  
  


Changbin blushed.

  
  


“Well I have the prettiest one,” he tilted his head down to softly kiss Hyunjin on the forehead, then on the beauty spot under his eye, then on his nose. Hyunjin giggled, puffing his lips out so he would kiss there next. But Changbin smirked, kissing his cheek instead. 

  
  


Hyunjin’s bottom lip jutted out in a pout, and that’s when Changbin couldn’t resist. He finally gave the boy what he wanted, a sweet, tender kiss. 

  
  


“Goodnight Hyunjin.”

  
  


“G’night.”

  
  
  
  
  


The fun part about keeping their relationship hidden from the others was the secret kisses. 

  
  


Sometimes, they would be quick pecks when nobody was looking, and then the two would giggle mysteriously about it, causing everyone to look at them weird. 

  
  


Other times, it was more risky and raised a bit of suspicion. Like hiding behind walls, or sneaking off to the bathroom together. 

  
  


One time, Jeongin caught them in the kitchen at midnight. Changbin had hooked his finger through Hyunjin’s belt loop, pulling him closer, laughing into the kiss because they thought they were alone. Luckily, after discovering Jeongin, they were able to convince him that what he saw couldn’t possibly be true, and he ended up believing that it was just his imagination. 

  
  


And so that’s exactly how half a month went by. They were in dreamland. 

  
  
  
  
  


As the third week arrived, Changbin was finding it harder and harder to control his… _desire._

  
  


Hyunjin seemed to be content with how things were, and Changbin didn’t want to rush any of it. 

  
  


But one particular night, the two were side by side at the sink. Hyunjin brushing his teeth and Changbin washing his face. As soon as the older was done, wiping his face with a towel, Hyunjin pulled his toothbrush out of his mouth momentarily to kiss Changbin on the cheek.

  
  


He left some foam there, giggling when his boyfriend gasped, reaching out to grab him. But Hyunjin ran off, looking back only to see Changbin chasing him with an angry yet playful expression. Hyunjin circled back around to the sink so he could quickly spit and be able to laugh hysterically without gurgling toothpaste foam. 

  
  


Changbin eventually caught the boy, squeezing him around his arms and lifting him up back to the sink. Hyunjin was still a giggly mess, as he properly rinsed out his mouth with water, and then was forced to clean Changbin’s cheek. 

  
  


Hyunjin wetted the tip of the towel and looked down at his boyfriend. He placed a slender finger under Changbin’s chin, tilting his head up and to the side, wiping at his cheek with the damp towel. 

  
  


Changbin watched through the mirror, and he blushed. 

  
  


Without really thinking, he gently pushed Hyunjin against the sink, a firm hand on the taller boy’s chest. It was so sudden that Hyunjin dropped the towel and gasped, only for it to turn into a low whine as soon as their crotches pressed together. 

  
  


Changbin placed his hands on the edge of the sink counter, caging Hyunjin between his arms. The younger boy slightly trembled, not from fear, but because this was new. He was used to warm cuddles and innocent kisses. This was much different. 

  
  


His breath hitched when Changbin kissed the exposed part of his collarbone, then he licked it once before starting to suck on the skin there. Hyunjin sounded like he was muffling out any noise by pursing or biting his lips, so Changbin stopped for a moment to say, “Just let it out, baby.” 

  
  


And so he did. Hyunjin’s breath shuddered, sweet little moans escaping his lips. It drove Changbin crazy. 

  
  


His hungry kisses trailed up Hyunjin’s neck, along his jaw, to the final destination.

It was like time stopped in a collision of senses when his lips finally met Hyunjin’s.

  
  


Changbin just devoured his mouth. The kiss was fast and sloppy, the heat rising in his cheeks as his tongue touched the other boy’s tongue. Quick and electric and delicious, then firmer, more determined, more curious about the depths of that pulsing warmth.

  
  


Hyunjin’s knees gave in, but Changbin held him in place, absentmindedly grinding up against him. 

  
  


Hyunjin let out a loud whine between kisses, and Changbin immediately stopped before things went too far. He pulled away from his boyfriend’s mouth, stepping back with a harsh growl. 

  
  


Hyunjin tried to hold himself up, sinking against the counter weakly as he panted, “What’s wrong?”

  
  


Changbin just shook his head, cursing himself for losing control. He gently took his boyfriend’s hand and helped him to the bed, sitting him down. The two took a moment to regain their composure and catch their breath. Changbin palmed at his bulge a little to ease the pain. 

  
  


Hyunjin watched him, frowning. “Why did we stop? I didn’t want to stop.” 

  
  


_Don’t tempt me…_

  
  


“You’re not ready for that yet, you don’t even know what it’s going to be like. Trust me, it’s better to be prepared.”

  
  


“But-”

  
  


“You have no experience.”

  
  


Hyunjin’s face was flushed, from both the steamy makeout session minutes ago, and now from embarrassment. 

  
  


“How do you know that!?” 

  
  


“I can tell.”

  
  


Hyunjin huffed.

  
  


“Is it really that obvious?”

  
  


Changbin’s mood was still a little sour from being mad at himself, but he smiled anyways.

  
  


“Just a bit,” he teased, and Hyunjin sulked.

  
  


“So just because I’m a virgin, you’ll never do it with me?” 

  
  


“What? No no, that’s not what I meant. It’ll happen eventually, just not yet.”

  
  


“But I really want to..” he trailed off. “I really want it with _you_.”

  
  


_Hyunjin…_

  
  


“No means no.”

  
  


The boy whined, crossing his arms. 

  
  


“My god, you are so persistent,” Changbin watched him, amused by his behaviour. 

  
  


“And _you_ are so mean! You’ve probably gone and done it like a hundred times but I have never, and now you’re going to make me wait!” 

  
  


Changbin’s smile faded.

  
  


“Hey, don’t speak like that. I’ve actually only done it twice, and I regret both. Neither of them were a memorable experience. With you, I want everything to go well. I want it to be perfect. _Special_.” 

  
  


Hyunjin looked sorry, but Changbin gave him a quick kiss before he could apologize. 

  
  


_It’s okay, my love._

  
  
  
  
  


The third week of that second month was coming to an end. The boys were slowly getting upset about having to leave soon. 

  
  


Changbin was sitting in his bedroom, talking to his older sister over the phone. He was telling her about how he’d been a happy mess the past several days. She was so glad to hear that, asking him what the reason was. 

  
  


_I’m in love._

  
  


Changbin just smiled, telling her that she’d find out when he’d come home. 

  
  


Then he ended the call, missing his boyfriend already so he barged into the bathroom without knocking, instantly feeling his heart swell at the sight of his lovely Hyunjin. 

  
  


He was having a bubble bath again, gasping when the older boy casually came inside. 

  
  


“It’s your fault for never locking the door,” Changbin chuckled. 

  
  


“Yeah, yeah…” he relaxed back into the water, reacting much different than the way he did last time Changbin walked in on him like this. “What are you looking for?”

  
  


“You.”

  
  


Hyunjin blushed, hesitating a bit before he spoke. 

  
  


“Remember what you said last time?” 

  
  


Changbin raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out where Hyunjin was going with this. 

  
  


“You were worried that I was watching you through the mirror. So I said no, and then asked if it would be a prob-”

“No no, not that! The question you asked afterwards.” 

  
  


Changbin tried to think back to that day.

  
  


_What question?_

  
  


And then he remembered. 

  
  


_Oh!_ Oh-

  
  


“I asked... if I could join you.” 

  
  


Changbin finally understood what his boyfriend was trying to do. 

  
  


“Yeah… and this time, my answer is yes,” Hyunjin spoke in a small voice, shy but eager. 

  
  


Changbin laughed softly, always amused by the ways Hyunjin continued to surprise him. But then in all seriousness, he sauntered over to the side of the tub, shedding his clothes as he did. Hyunjin looked away, which made Changbin smirk. His lover ached for more yet couldn’t come to terms with the fact that they’d eventually see each other fully naked one day. 

  
  


Changbin barely held back more laughter when he caught Hyunjin peeking at him as he unzipped his jeans. 

  
  


When he was done stripping, he kneeled down behind Hyunjin, who was still looking away. While resting his arms on the edge of the bathtub, he brought his mouth by Hyunjin’s ear.

  
  


“You gonna make room for me or what?” 

  
  


Hyunjin shivered at the way Changbin’s breath hit his skin. It triggered goosebumps that scurried up his arms and crawled along his neck. But he shyly slid forward, watching some of the water pour over the edge as it got displaced by Changbin’s body. He snaked an arm around Hyunjin’s waist, gently pulling him back to lay against his chest. 

  
  


It was a strange new feeling. The water was warm, Hyunjin was warmer. He could feel bare skin touching bare skin, a bit awkward, but it was nice. 

For a couple of minutes they just sat there like that in silence, with the occasional giggle or two. 

  
  


Hyunjin was resting his head back on Changbin’s shoulder, playing with his boyfriend’s wet, soapy fingers. He put their hands together, grinning when his turned out to be much bigger, his fingers long and slender, while Changbin’s were short and stubby. They eventually slipped out of his grasp and fell back into the tub with a splash of bubbles, causing them both to erupt in laughter. 

  
  


At some point, Changbin started to pepper Hyunjin with kisses, starting from the base of his neck and up, his hands roaming around the younger’s body. 

  
  


Hyunjin squirmed under his touch, breathing becoming rushed as Changbin’s hands slid lower and lower down his sides. He suddenly pulled away, shifting so that they were facing each other. 

  
  


“Why are you doing this? Do you enjoy getting me hard just so you can tell me that we can’t take it any further?” 

  
  


“No, of course not! What you wanted last time was something bigger that requires lots of responsibility and proper preparation, but I never said I couldn’t pleasure you in other ways.” 

  
  


Hyunjin just stared back, cheeks burning red, “Other ways?” 

  
  


“Get your cute little butt back here and you’ll find out.” 

  
  


Despite seeming nervous, he eagerly obeyed, shifting back to his original position between the older's legs. Changbin nudged Hyunjin’s cheek with his nose, wanting the boy to look his way so they could make out. And as they did, Changbin slowly wrapped his hand around Hyunjin’s dick. 

  
  


The latter broke the kiss, eliciting a high-pitched whine and throwing his head back against Changbin’s shoulder at the sensation. The older boy grinned, expertly working his hand until Hyunjin was a moaning mess. He gently started to nibble on his neck too, eventually driving Hyunjin to cry out as he came, his body falling limp against Changbin.

  
  


His breathing slowed, eyes still closed, as Changbin continued to kiss him all over.

  
  


“This is the first time anyone has touched me like this other than myself,” Hyunjin admitted, breathlessly.

  
  


Changbin suddenly pictured his boyfriend alone in a room, a hand down his pants, shamelessly pleasuring himself. That image was what sent him over the edge, his body shaking as he gripped the edge of the tub tightly and growled. 

  
  


“Did you just… ?” Hyunjin asked, tilting his head back to look at Changbin as he panted. 

  
  


“Well yeah, you’ve been rubbing your ass up against my dick this whole time,” he answered, matter-of-factly. 

  
  


Hyunjin giggled, “Oops, I wasn’t aware.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and a few moments later, they realized that the water was now dirty, so they just took another bath again <3


	9. road trips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor minho... :(
> 
> also, more sexual content at the end!

One last week of their vacation remained. 

Changbin and Hyunjin finally decided to tell the other boys about their relationship. Then they’d be able to freely do whatever they wanted without having to hide. Though Changbin would miss the thrill of sneaking around to keep it a secret. 

  
  


They all sat around the living room impatiently, waiting for the two boys to discuss the important matter everyone was apparently gathered for. 

  
  


“So..” Changbin started, exchanging a nervous look with Hyunjin before continuing. “We just wanted to say that… we’re-”

  
  


“Together?” Jisung finished his sentence. “Yeah, we all know.”

  
  


“Wait what? How?”

  
  


“You really thought you had me fooled that night in the kitchen,” Jeongin snickered. “But I actually made a video of you lovebirds and showed everyone.”

  
  


“Not to mention you were both acting really suspicious,” Minho added.

  
  


“Seungmin and I could also hear you guys through the wall between our rooms…” Felix admitted. 

  
  


Hyunjin coughed at that, hiding in embarrassment behind Changbin as the latter awkwardly smiled at the boys, speaking through clenched teeth. 

  
  


“ _Lovely._ ”

  
  
  
  


Having that conversation with the others was a huge mistake. Now that everything was officially out in the open, the boys would _not_ stop teasing the couple as soon as they stepped into a room. It was exactly what they feared. 

  
  


Which is why they decided to leave. Just for that last week. 

  
  


They wanted peace, and proper privacy. 

  
  


They wanted to fully enjoy the end of their vacation together. 

  
  


They wanted to steal the keys to Minho’s car. 

  
  


“Shhh,” Changbin warned Hyunjin to keep from giggling as he slowly twisted the handle to Minho and Jisung’s bedroom. Even though he pushed as gently as possible, the door still creaked noisily, causing Changbin’s face to scrunch up. One of them stirred on the bed, but then it was quiet again. 

  
  


He told Hyunjin to wait there while he slipped inside. The room smelled of sex right away, so Changbin held his breath as he snuck up to the side table. The boys on the bed were naked in each other’s arms, the sheets messy, and barely covering them up. Changbin only glanced at them once and decided, _never again_ , as he finally found the car keys in one of the drawers. 

  
  


In its place, he put a little note that they had written in fat marker, saying:

  
  


**our lovely, kind, understanding minho...**

**we’re going on a little road trip**

**so we’re going to borrow your car for a bit**

**hope that’s okay :p**

**if it isn’t, please don’t get mad :(**

**we promise we’ll make it up to you!**

**and don’t worry too much about us**

**we’ll be back before the end of the week!**

**love ya ;)**

**\- changbin & hyunjin <3**

  
  
  


Changbin was so excited that he accidentally shut the drawer really loudly. Someone on the bed shifted, murmuring something.

  
  


_Shit._

  
  


Changbin darted for the door at the speed of lightning, bumping into Hyunjin outside, and they giggled hysterically. After grabbing their already packed bags from their own bedroom, the boys snuck out the front door and hurried to the car, throwing their stuff in the back and hopping in. 

  
  


Changbin started the engine, the car revving to life, as the headlights automatically flickered on. They pulled out of the driveway just as an angry Minho ran outside _buck naked_ , waving the letter while shouting a string of curses. 

  
  


Changbin rolled down his window briefly to wave goodbye, suppressing his laughter. 

  
  


“Sorry! We won’t forget to make it up to you!”

  
  


And then they drove off, the sun slowly peeking over the horizon. 

  
  
  
  
  


“So where are we going exactly?” Hyunjin asked, ripping open one of the bag of chips they brought as snacks for the ride. 

  
  


It had been a couple of hours since they pulled onto the highway. They also completely turned their phones off so nobody could spam them with calls. Nobody meaning Minho. 

  
  


“I honestly have no idea,” Changbin admitted, opening his mouth to be fed a chip. “Let’s just see where destiny takes us.”

  
  


And that was how they ended up lost on some sketchy gravel road by nighttime. Surrounded by forest. 

  
  


Destiny really sucked. 

  
  


The car was low on fuel too, so they decided to go looking for a gas station on foot in the morning. Meanwhile, they pulled a blanket out from one of their bags, opening the sunroof of the car and climbing up.

  
  


They spent the night lying side by side on the top of the car, snuggling on a blanket as they stared up at the stars. Stargazing wasn’t part of the plan, but then again, they didn’t really have a plan. 

  
  


“Look at them twinkling and dazzling,” Hyunjin observed in fascination. “Like scattered moondust in the sky.” 

  
  


“Damn, my boyfriend’s so poetic,” Changbin smirked, nudging him. 

  
  


Hyunjin giggled, tapping their heads together, “You must be too, what do _you_ think of the stars?”

  
  


“Well, even though the sky is dark, they still shine. Like they’re completely unfazed by all the negative energy that surrounds them, flickering as if to prove their worth. They’re beacons of hope for all the people in this world that used to be like me. Lonely. Scared. Upset.” 

  
  


“Wow, that’s deep,” Hyunjin responded, impressed. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘used to be like me’?”

  
  


“Well, I _was_ all those things. People around me only ever seem to like me or want to be my friend because of my wealth or popularity, like how people treat you and make you feel like you’re nothing more than just your beauty. So I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. I even shut my friends out. I felt alone. I worried if I’d ever be able to come out of that slump, it made me slightly paranoid. But after meeting you, things changed. You opened up that one day about having problems similar to mine. I realized I wasn’t alone at all. Because there were other people like me out there. And I didn’t want to let my fears control me or constantly cloud my mind. The advice and comfort I gave you that day… I realized I should be using it myself too. And now that we’re together, now that you’re mine... I’ll always be okay. I’ll always feel safe. I’ll always be happy. I’ll always have _you_. I’ve forgotten what it means to feel alone.”

  
  


There was a long silence, in which Changbin turned to his side to see if maybe Hyunjin had fallen asleep. But he was still awake, staring up at the glittery sky with a smile. A tear rolled down the side of his face when he blinked.

  
  


Then he turned to face Changbin as well, looking into his eyes with so much warmth.

  
  


Hyunjin kissed him, slowly and sweetly while Changbin wiped the boy’s eyes with his thumbs. 

  
  


“And you’ll never be reminded of it again. Because you will _always_ have me. Forever.” 

  
  


Changbin felt his heart swell with happiness. He thought, there could be no better moment than this to say it. 

  
  


“I love you, Hyunjin.”

  
  


“I love you, too.”

  
  
  
  
  


The next morning, Changbin tried to sit up but his back hurt from sleeping on the flat roof of the car. How they didn’t somehow fall off during the night? He wasn’t sure. 

  
  


Hyunjin was already awake and grinning at his boyfriend, who shielded his eyes from the sun. Changbin stretched himself a bit, hearing multiple cracks in response to the simple action. 

  
  


After blinking a couple times and rubbing at his eyes, Changbin finally noticed the colourful little flowers that were tucked into Hyunjin’s dark hair. He smiled wide. 

  
  


“You look like a pretty fairy.”

  
  


Hyunjin blushed. 

  
  


“You do, too.” 

  
  


_Huh?_

  
  


Changbin lowered himself back into the car through the sunroof, looking at his reflection through the rearview mirror. Hyunjin had put tiny white flowers in Changbin’s messy head of hair. He couldn’t hold back an adoring chuckle.

  
  


After walking on foot for only about 10 minutes, they already found a gas station. 

  
  


But Changbin wasn’t going to get frustrated. If they hadn’t stopped for the night, he’d never have had that conversation with Hyunjin on the car. 

  
  


So they only drove ahead for just a few minutes before they arrived. Changbin filled up the tank as he told Hyunjin to take his wallet and go buy whatever he wanted from the convenience store. He returned with a packet of more snacks, hopping back into the car with Changbin as they made it back to the highway. 

  
  


“Binnie?”

  
  


“Yeah?”

  
  


“I saw what was in your wallet.”

  
  


“What do you mean?”  
  


Hyunjin held something up for Changbin to see, so he glanced away from the road for a second. 

  
  


_Ohhh, right._

  
  


It was the polaroid photo Seungmin took of the two boys that night they all watched a horror movie together. Changbin had picked it up after Hyunjin dropped it and fled. He later found it sitting in one of their bedroom drawers when he was packing for the road trip. So with a marker, he wrote ‘ **my love** **♥️** ’ in the empty spot at the bottom, before tucking it safely into his wallet. 

  
  


“Do you like it?” 

  
  


“I love it. I’m so glad you kept this.” 

  
  


“Me too.”

  
  
  
  
  


The boys had been driving all morning and afternoon. Since they already got lost once, they were convinced Minho had somehow put a curse on them. So they decided that after one more night out on the road, they’d just head back to the beach house. Changbin was scared to face Minho’s wrath though. 

  
  


By evening, they happened to pass by this really dingy looking motel, but agreed to stay for the night so they could get some proper sleep. 

  
  


Once they checked into their ugly room, Changbin fell back on the bed, stretching out his stiff limbs. Since Hyunjin didn’t have his license, the older boy had to do all the driving. It caused his legs to fall asleep and his arms to cramp up. His ass was also numb from sitting in one position the whole day. Hyunjin was luckily able to relax with his seat leaned all the way back and feet propped up on the dashboard. 

  
  


Hyunjin told him to sit up for a second, so he did, watching as his boyfriend crawled onto the bed and situated himself behind Changbin. 

  
  


“Take off your shirt.” 

  
  


Changbin didn’t ask any questions, simply following all of his commands. 

  
  


Hyunjin pulled on his shoulder and pushed on his lower back, forcing Changbin to sit upright with proper posture. Then he pressed his fingers into all the sore areas, rubbing the tension away with his hands like magic. 

  
  


“You’re amazing at giving massages,” Changbin sighed in content, feeling his body start to relax. 

  
  


“Thanks, but how will you be paying today?” 

  
  


Changbin turned to face him with a crooked smile, playfully attacking him onto the bed. 

  
  


“With kisses!”

  
  


Hyunjin squealed out in between his giggles, Changbin was peppering him where it tickled. But then he cupped his face, leaning down to connect their mouths in a slow, soft kiss. Their lips brushed together delicately at first, like butterfly wings, just long enough so Changbin could inhale that wonderfully divine scent of vanilla, and feel the smooth warmth of Hyunjin's skin. 

  
  


They made out lovingly for what felt like hours but it was really just a few minutes. Changbin eventually pulled away, a string of saliva breaking between them as he did. He loved the way Hyunjin looked like this. Lips, red and abused. Eyes, innocent yet eager. Cheeks flushed a rosy pink. Hair spread out around his head, looking even prettier with the little flowers decorating it.

  
  


_Hyunjin is my beautiful fairy prince._

  
  


Changbin felt him tug at his neck, trying to pull him back since he didn’t seem to get enough. 

  
  


“Sometimes, I think I could kiss you forever and ever without stopping.” 

  
  


“You better be sure about that Hyunjin, because I’m not afraid to attempt it.”

  
  


He just smiled against Changbin’s lips, and they both giggled as they continued where they left off. But this time, Hyunjin roamed his hands down the front of Changbin’s naked torso. They both pulled away from the kiss to watch as Hyunjin pressed his hands against his boyfriend’s pecs, the skin there firm due to well-built muscle. His fingers then traced abs, slowly trailing down to the hem of his pants. 

  
  


Changbin’s slight bulge only grew when Hyunjin palmed at it. 

  
  


“Hey,” he groaned, pulling the younger boy’s hand away. “We can’t.”

  
  


“Yes we can,” Hyunjin countered, rolling over and hopping off the bed to dig through his bag, quickly pulling out a bottle of lotion. He hurried back to his spot under Changbin, holding up a condom as well. “I promise you I’m ready. I promise it’ll be perfect, just like you want.”

  
  


“But we’re in this nasty ass motel. What about this is perfect?”

  
  


“Forget about the motel. If anything, it just makes it more special.”

  
  


Changbin really couldn’t win when Hyunjin was being this stubborn, so he gave in. 

  
  


Their next kiss was wet and sloppy, their burning tongues sliding over one another. Hyunjin had a lustful expression on his face, like he was suddenly drunk.. drunk on love. He looked up at Changbin with inviting eyes.

  
  


So Changbin’s hands slid the younger boy’s shirt up, eventually lifting it off over his head and tossing it to the side. He took his time marking up Hyunjin's chest with love bites, as if he was an artist and Hyunjin was a blank canvas. The boy continuously let out painful whines, as Changbin’s teeth grazed his skin, inching lower and lower. 

  
  


Eventually, the rest of Hyunjin’s clothes were discarded, and now Changbin was just sitting back and admiring his fully nude lover for the first time. Even though they were in such a dull location, the sun was slowly setting, forming a magical pinkish glow on Hyunjin as he simply laid there. 

  
  


He was literally gleaming, and it might’ve been the most alluring sight Changbin had ever seen.

  
  


“Stop staring at me like that,” Hyunjin murmured softly, as a rosy shade bloomed across his cheeks, undoubtedly embarrassed by being so naked. 

  
  


“Sorry. Just trying to memorize this moment, I want to remember every detail as it is… burn this image into my brain.” 

  
  


He smiled warmly, moving away the boy’s hands that tried to cover some of his exposed skin.

Then he leaned down to kiss Hyunjin’s thigh, before looking up through his lashes and saying, “Okay, I think I've got it.”

  
  


Changbin then shed the rest of his own clothes, smirking as Hyunjin watched him. He didn’t miss how the boy gulped at the size of his boyfriend’s dick. It was definitely going to be a tight fit. 

  
  


But Changbin handled Hyunjin’s delicate body with much love and tender care, gently prepping him, sweetly guiding him through it all, panting soft _I love you_ ’s over and over, continuously praising him and peppering him with kisses. 

  
  


Changbin might’ve even kissed every inch of his skin that night.

  
  


Hyunjin cried out when he came, fisting the sheets as he arched his back, pulsating uncontrollably. Changbin rode out his own high just moments after, his thrusts getting weaker before he spilled into the condom. 

  
  


Then he collapsed on top of Hyunjin, who was sniffling softly. He quickly rolled off to the side. 

  
  


“Hey, are you alright?” 

Changbin pulled their sweaty bodies together in a warm and tight embrace. 

  
  


Hyunjin smiled, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. 

  
  


“More thanalright. Thank you for being the best.”

  
  


Changbin drew in even closer, whispering breathlessly in his ear, “I love you.”

  
  


“I love you more.”

  
  
  
  
  


Hyunjin eventually fell asleep, but Changbin was still awake, thinking about how amazing it was, how he’d never felt more connected with Hyunjin, like their bodies became one. 

  
  


Changbin blushed, replaying his boyfriend’s tantalizing expressions in his head. His whimpering moans. His damp hair sticking to his forehead. How he kept biting his bottom lip. The way his mouth fell open in complete bliss. 

  
  


Or simply just how absolutely breathtaking he was.

  
  


He silently watched his sleeping Hyunjin, an immense amount of love in his gaze.

  
  
  
  
  


[ i recommend listening to streetlight at 2:38 from this point to the end ]

Changbin knew how much it hurt to feel alone. He had experienced it before. Sometimes he felt like a streetlight, after the end of a lonely day. Standing in the air in the middle of a lonely night, trying to smile brightly in a desperate attempt to hide the darkness inside.

  
  


But then he met Hyunjin. Beautiful and lovely Hyunjin, bringing along this passionate fire that slowly melted his iced over heart.

  
  


Just being with Hyunjin felt like drowning to Changbin, but in the best way possible.

  
  


It was like he was drowning in a sweetness so thick and sticky, it swallowed him up completely.

  
  


And he never wanted to swim to the surface, only willing to fall deeper and deeper. 

  
  


Hyunjin was like _an ocean of honey,_ and Changbin wanted to be stuck in it forever.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks a lot to the mods and everyone who put this fest together !
> 
> i really hope you enjoyed, and please leave kudos if you did <3
> 
> i would be happy to read your thoughts/feedback as well so consider writing a comment :)
> 
> -
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/binflowerwrites)


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